New York Underworld
by TheGirlWhoWouldn'tGrowUp
Summary: After the strike, life is better for the newsies of Manhattan and Brooklyn. But not all of the shadows of the past have faded with time. Lies and illusions still remain. When two newsies are kidnapped, the boroughs must band together to save their friends - and their city - from New York's underworld. Sequel to "Five Thousand Reasons To Try"
1. Chapter 1

October 30, 1899

"Get away from him!" Chase screamed, standing in front of the younger boy and facing his attacker.

The younger boy was Boots from Manhattan. Chase had just finished selling her papers at her usual selling spot, she loved to stay near the theatres, when she heard the cries of a child. Without a second thought she dropped her papes and ran to his aid as fast as she could. Chase was still dependent on her crutch but she'd gotten used to working with it in the past few months, learning a lot from Crutchy.

Chase stepped in front of Boots right when the boy threw another punch. It connected with her jaw and then she tasted blood.

"Sorry about that, darlin'," He smirked, there was darkness in his eyes. "I'd suggest you move." He was a boy who couldn't have been older than 17. And he was a lot taller than her (although that could be said about most boys when compared to Chase). She wasn't phased by it.

Ignoring his suggestion she let her fist fly, hitting him in the cheek. It wiped the smile right off his face.

"So you think you're all tough, do ya?" he stepped toward her.

Chase backed up, blocking the boy's way to Boots. She put her fists up and went in for another punch. But instead of throwing another punch he kicked over her crutch, causing her to collapse on the ground. He laughed wickedly and picked up her crutch, pulling it back like a baseball bat.

He's going to kill me, she thought.

Chase closed her eyes and put her arms up to block whatever swing was coming but none came. She heard the sound of the crutch clatter to the ground and something slam against bricks.

"You think this is funny?"

Chase looked up, Racetrack Higgins was holding the attacker against the wall. "Soakin' a little kid and girl with a crutch is what you do for a good time?"

The attacker sneered. "We can't all afford to gamble at sheepshead."

"Who are you, anyway?"

"Just a shadow." The boy said.

Race set his jaw. "Get outta here. Now." he pushed him to the entrance of the alley and the boy disappeared.

"What happened?!" Spark ran in and knelt by Chase's side. Spark and Racetrack must have been selling at Sheepshead again. They had become good friends after the strike, the fact that they both loved to gamble helped.

"I was going back to the lodging house and I heard Boots here in the alley, trying to fight that boy." she looked at the younger newsie, he was badly bruised, barely conscious.

"So you tried to take him on yourself?" Racetrack shook his head and helped Chase up. Spark handed her the crutch.

"No one else was around."

"Yeah, well let's hope Spot don't find out about this-"

"What's goin' on here?"

The three of them turned to see the king of Brooklyn walk into the alley.

"Spot," Chase started.

"What happened to you?" Spot touched Chase's cheek. Blood was still dripping from her split lip and she winced as his fingers ran over the bruise that was starting to show. "You look like you got into a bar fight."

"She was savin' Boots." Racetrack said.

"From who?" He turned back to Chase. "Tell me who the dirty grafter was. Tryin' to soak my girl- I'm gonna kill him!" Spot pulled out his cane.

"I don't know, I didn't recognize him." Chase thought hard to remember what he looked like. "All I remember is he had dark eyes... and his hair was black."

"His hair was black?" asked Spark. "Thats unusual."

"Shhh! I'm thinkin'!" Spot paced the alley.

"Well while you're thinking, we have to get Boots to the hospital. Now." Chase commanded.

Thankfully the hospital wasn't too far away and the boys were able to carry Boots there. Once inside the nurses tended to him. Racetrack rushed to Manhattan to tell Jack and the other boys.

One of the nurses came into the waiting room to talk to Chase, Spot, and Spark "He's awake now." she said. "He can't get out of bed just yet but you can come in one at a time to visit."

"Alright, I'm goin' in." Spot stood up.

"No," Chase pulled him back down to sit. "I think it would be better if I went and talked to him first. He's been through a lot today." Boots knew Spot pretty well, but with the mood Spot was in today...

He sighed. "Fine, just try to get some information out a' him, 'kay?"

"Ok."

The nurse led Chase down the hall to Boots' room. There he sat up in bed, a cheery smile on face, he felt so pampered. Aside from the bandages pasted here and there and the fact that his right arm was taped up and in a sling, you would never have guessed he'd just been in a bad fight.

"Hi'ya, Chase." He said when he saw her standing in the doorway.

"Hey, Boots." She went to his side. "How are you feeling?"

"Great now! Can you believe my luck?" He gushed.

Chase could have thought of a thousand words to describe Boots' predicament and none of them were anywhere near 'luck'.

She sat down on the end of his bed, tracing the thick weave of the sheets with her finger. "So, can I ask you something?"

"Sure, anythin'."

"What happened earlier?"

"Oh, you mean that little scrap? That was nothin' I coulda-"

Chase closed her eyes, cutting the boy off. "I mean, why did it happen?"

"Oh," Boots dropped his gaze. "That...He, uh... He wanted to know somethin' and I wouldn't tell."

Chase furrowed her brow. "He wanted information?" Why would someone pick on an 11 year old boy? "What about?"

"You."

Chase looked up abruptly. "What? I don't-"

Boots took a breath. "He wanted to know which a' the Brooklyn girls was Spot's and I wouldn't tell him."

Chase blinked, still confused as she let that sink in. "So why didn't you tell him?"

"Because I didn't know what he was gonna do with that information. I didn't want you hurt or nothin'." So young and yet he was wise beyond his years.

Chase took his good hand and looked him straight in the eye. "Thank you. You were very brave today. Thinking about others before yourself."

"Aww," He blushed. "It was nothin'."

Their moment was cut short when several newsies tumbled through the door, all clamoring to get to Boots.

"I tried to keep them out." Spark apologized.

Jack picked himself up off the floor and straightened his vest and approached the bedside. "So, is he gonna live or what?"

Chase smacked him in the head. "Of course he is! You're making him nervous."

"Alright, Boots," Mush praised. "Battle scars. The ladies love 'em."

Chase and Spark shared a glance.

"No," they shook their heads.

"Aw, come on, what do you mean by that?" Mush said, slightly offended.

"Bruises and scars, not a good look." Spark stood on her tiptoes to kiss Mush on the cheek.

"Then you're with the wrong guy."

"Maybe I am." Spark let Mush pull her closer.

"Not in front of the kids." Racetrack always teased Mush and Spark for their public displays of affection.

The others laughed.

"So what happened?" Spot directed his question toward Chase.

She avoided eye contact. "Just a bully." If Spot knew what that guy wanted, he would never let Chase out of his sight again. And she'd just convinced him to let her sell papers by herself again.

"Hey," Mush took a step closer to Chase. "What happened to you?"

"Nothing." she covered her split lip and the bruise with her hand.

"No, somethin' happened."

"Yeah, Chase don't be so modest," Racetrack put his arm around her. "Your sister did quite a number on that bum."

That was an exaggeration.

"Oh, she did?" Mush crossed his arms. He did not look happy.

"No one else was around." Why did she have to keep saying that?

"Come on, Mush." Jack smacked Mush on the back. "Looks like she did fine."

Spot stood back and didn't say anything.

"You better tell us the whole story." Kid Blink said.

Chase felt like she was backed into a corner thanks to Racetrack. It had not been her finest moment and she didn't want to talk about it. She still had to process what Boots had told her.

"Oh, wow. Look at the sun!" She gestured to the window. "It's getting late. Come on, Spark, we should be getting home."

"It can't be later than what, 4:00?"

"Yeah," Spot grabbed Chase's shoulders and made her look at him. "Why don't we take a little trip to Manhattan and we can talk about it?"

"Let's." Mush and Spot had ganged up on her.

"Story's still there with David, anyway." Spark added.

"Hey, Boots, quick question," Jack said, helping him get out of bed so they could return home. "how come you came here alone?"

"Oh, yeah I completely forgot!" Boots exclaimed. "I came here 'cause Medda wanted to talk to yous girls about somethin'. It seemed kinda important."

* * *

"Hey guys how's it- WHOA what happened to you?!" Story exclaimed as Chase, accompanied by Spot and Mush, approached the lodging house steps with the other newsies. Chase had only gotten to have a quick glance in the mirror as they left the hospital but she didn't think her face was that bad, especially compared to Boots.

David stood up. "Did you fall or something?"

"Nah," said Spark casually. "She just got into a fight."

Story and David gaped at Chase. Neither of them could imagine Chase doing something like that. She was too much of a lady to get into street fights.

Chase smiled sheepishly. "I don't really want to talk about it." then she elbowed Spark. "Really, you and Racetrack with your mouths."

All of the newsies had to agree. Spark and Race had both become more sarcastic and obnoxious the more time they spent with each other.

"A fight, Chase?" David thought. "That doesn't really sound like you at all. Did you beat their sorry butt?" David became more like his friends every day.

"Well..."

"'Course she did." Racetrack was really playing this up. "Yous shoulda seen him after she was done."

"Ooookay," Chase asserted. "Um, we're done now. Let's just go to Medda's. That's the whole reason we're here."

Chase started down the street, the click of her crutch echoing down the normally busy street. She didn't wait for the other girls.

"Alright then, bye." Spark kissed Mush on the cheek. Chase was the only one who knew how to get there so it wouldn't be good if she and her sister fell behind.

"We'll be back a little later." Story said to David.

"I don't like this." said Spot. Not after what had just happened. "Why don't we come with yous."

"Medda did say she wanted all of us there." David added.

"Then we'll all go."

Story and Spark looked content with this answer. They wanted to spend time with their boys. But Chase wanted a moment away from hers.

Spot made to take Chase's arm but she pulled away.

"Hey," Jack said, seeing the tension. "I gotta talk to Chase for a minute, Spot. Is that alright?"

Spot crossed his arms. "Yeah, whatever."

Jack handed Boots off to Mush and offered Chase his arm.

"Thank you." She said.

* * *

Skittery slammed the door to the lodging house. Klopmann was used to it so he didn't even flinch. He had practically raised Skittery since he'd been orphaned at the young age of 5, he'd been at that lodging house longer than most of the other boys. And he was always a moody child.

Skittery's friends had forgotten about him. They had gone to the theatre without him. It wasn't the first time this had happened, but Skittery had hoped someone had remembered him. At least Story.

She was only girl he had anything in common with. And he'd really begun to take to her. They had become good friends. Skittery couldn't stand Chase and Spark. The other guys loved them (probably because they were the only girls that would pay them any mind) but Skittery got annoyed with their excessive giggling quickly. Story wasn't like that. She was different than the other girls. A good kind of different. but unfortunately, she was happily taken by Skittery's least favorite newsie: David Jacobs.

He threw down his newspaper bag. At least today he had sold all of his papers. Life had been a little easier after the strike but that didn't mean the headlines were any better.

"Hey Klopmann," Skittery said. "Do you know where they all went?"

"I heard they were going to Irving Hall to see Medda's show," the old man answered. "I bet you could make it if you ran right now."

Skittery shook his head. It wasn't worth it to run fifteen or so blocks just to see Medda's show. It was going to be a pain staying in on a night like this while his friends were all out having a good time. Skittery would probably have to help put the little kids to bed. But at least he would have a chance to read that book Story had lent to him. Then they would have something to talk about the next time she came to Manhattan.

Skittery started tromping up the steps when there was a knock at the lodging house door.

"I'll get it," Skittery sighed, opening the door. "Wha' da ya want?" he said apathetically.

"Hey, Skittery." It was Denton.

"Oh, hey'ya, Denton, it's been a while."

Denton smiled. "Sorry about that, it's been a little busy between working for Governor Roosevelt and writing for "The Sun"."

Bryan Denton played a major part in the newsboys' strike. He had used the power of the press to their advantage, letting the world know that the newsboys of New York meant business. His articles exposed Pulitzer and Hearst's carelessness towards the working kids of the city. That was one of the reasons the strike ended up being successful in the end. That, and Denton's close association with Governor Teddy Roosevelt.

Skittery saw a second silhouette behind Denton in the dim light of the street.

"You got someone with you?"

"Yeah, I do." Denton said as he took the hand of the person behind him. "I'd like you to meet my niece, Helena Denton."

Helena was a very pretty girl, from what Skittery could see in the dark, with long, curly, dark hair. He couldn't help but stare.

"It's nice to meet you," Helena smiled, putting out her hand. "You said your name was Skittery?" She had never heard of such a strange name in her life.

Skittery snapped back into reality with a shake of his head. "Well it's a nickname actually. My real name is Henry." It felt weird saying his name out loud. He hadn't heard it in years.

"It's Helena's first time in New York," Denton said. "I thought I would introduce her to the famous newsboys of Manhattan who she'd read about in the papers."

"Well, right now alls you got is me." said Skittery. "The others is all out at Medda's for a show tonight. Probably startin' soon, too." He tried not to sound too bitter in front of Helena.

"A show?" Helena asked, "Like a vaudeville show? Oh Uncle Denty can we please go?"

"Don't know how yous gonna make it," Skittery remarked. "Like I said, it should be startin' real soon. And the street cars all stopped runnin' over an hour ago."

Denton smiled. "I don't think time will be an issue." He stepped aside to reveal an automobile parked in front of the lodging house door.

Skittery gaped. "Whoa, is that one a' them horseless carriages?" He ran outside to get a better look at the shiny, new contraption.

"It was a gift," said Denton.

"Some gift." Skittery let out a low whistle. "From who?"

"From all of you newsboys." Denton said.

"What?" Skittery would have remembered buying an automobile. He'd been drunk before, but not too drunk to remember big details like buying a car.

Denton clarified. "The strike, and Governor Roosevelt, of course, opened a lot of doors for me."

Skittery turned his attention back to the car. "So what's it run on? Steam?" he was a little familiar with how trains and steamboats worked.

"No, it actually runs on electricity." said Denton.

"Wow," It was odd to think that the same thing that powered the few lights in the lodging house could power a whole car.

Denton turned to Helena. "I bet we'll make to the show if we leave right now."

Helena beamed, excited to see her first New York vaudeville show on her first day in the city.

"Come on, Skittery, there's plenty of room."

"You mean it?" Finally Skittery was being included. He hopped into the back seat and off they went through the streets of Manhattan.

* * *

 **A/N: And that is the first chapter of "New York Underworld". I think I enjoyed writing this one a bit more than "Five Thousand Reasons..." probably because I had the freedom to write this one without a set story line to follow (although at the very beginning this was going to be a crossover. I won't tell you what the other movie was until later because that will probably give some things away, but let's just say it was extremely complicated). Also this story was mostly finished (if you read "Five Thousand Reasons" you might remember that I had posted these back in 2012 and then I took them down. The only thing I had saved from the first story were some rough drafts). Almost all of the chapters of this story were in tact, I just hadn't finished it. Now it's nearly done and I'm really happy with it. I hope you enjoy this too!**


	2. Chapter 2

"You want us to perform for a real audience. Tonight?" Both excitement and alarm flashed in Chase's eyes. She hadn't been onstage for over 3 years, since her last ballet recital at Miss Trenton's Boarding School, when she'd wanted to return to her home. Her real home. She didn't think she would be able to perform in her current state.

"You need practice if you're going to become a regular in my show." said Medda.

"What?"

"It's time Irving Hall got some fresh faces on the stage." Medda said. "I figure you take whatever exposure you can get. A little nepotism never hurt anybody."

"Oh, Medda!" Chase exclaimed as she hugged her. "Thank you. Thank you so much!"

"And of course Spark and Story, you're also welcome to become my apprentices if you wish."

The sisters smiled at each other. "Well we can't let Chase have all the fun." said Story. This was an opportunity of a lifetime. Story knew she and her sister couldn't be newsies forever. They would have to make some real money somehow. As newsies that would be difficult. They had no family and little schooling. With Medda giving them a chance to learn stagecraft by her side that had a real chance at getting off the streets.

"Do you think we'll be good enough?" Spark asked. If you could call dancing on the Brooklyn docks while Spot and some of the other newsies watched "performing", they had certainly done a lot of that. Standing onstage in front of a real audience was a different matter. Chase had a little more experience than them.

Medda nodded. "Yes, I'm sure you can do it!"

Spark and Story looked less than certain.

"But tonight? It's so sudden." said Spark.

"We haven't rehearsed anything." said Story, always the perfectionist.

"And- and we don't have anything to wear."

"Oh, pish posh!" Medda waved those excuses away with her hand. "I have plenty of costumes in your sizes backstage AND you all know 'Don't Come A-Knocking', right?"

"...Yes..."

"Well then it's settled! Tonight we have a pianist but he won't be available after today though. I'll have to-"

Medda stopped as a slow, waltz-like tune played through the theatre. "What is this?" she smiled.

David was playing the piano (from memory). It was a familiar parlor song. Medda and the girls drew toward the bench. And David began to sing the ballad in an overly dramatic but sweet way. Story sat down on the bench next to him, completely starry-eyed.

 **Beautiful dreamer, wake unto me, starlight and dewdrops are waiting for thee;**

The newsies gathered around the piano. Chase and Spark stood next to their boys. As David began the next line of the song, the rest of boys joined in singing, including Spot Conlon, Chase was very surprised.

 **Sounds of the rude world, heard in the day, lull'd by the moonlight have all pass'd away!**

Spot put his arm around Chase and whispered in her ear. "You're my beautiful dreamer, you know that?"

Chase blushed and butterflies filled her stomach. She finally relaxed for the first time in hours. Even though Spot was overly protective, it was because he loved her and she knew it. She shouldn't be so hard on him when he was so worried about her.

 **Beautiful dreamer, queen of my song, list while I woo thee with soft melody;**

Skittery, Helena, and Denton arrived just as the song was finishing.

 **Gone are the cares of life's busy throng, beautiful dreamer, awake unto me! Beautiful dreamer, awake unto me!**

Skittery got a better look at Helena in the theatre house lights. Just like he thought, she was very pretty. With her long, dark, wavy hair, pale skin with freckles sprinkling her nose. And her eyes, they were so blue! The powder blue dress she was wearing made them stand out even more. She reminded Skittery of the china dolls he sometimes saw in shop windows. And she was taller than Spark and Chase. Skittery didn't like looking down at girls and he didn't like when girls had to look up at him. Chase and Spark only came up to the middle of his chest. Helena and Story were both a little less than a head shorter than him.

Helena looked like a princess, or at least, what Skittery thought a princess should look like. Story sometimes made him sit with her when Davey was gone while she read the little ones fairy tales. He wouldn't do it if it wasn't for her.

"Are those your friends?" Helena asked Skittery.

He grimaced a little. "Yeah," they were always doing something embarrassing like that.

Contrary to what Skittery expected, Helena smiled. "They look fun."

"Sometimes."

"Alright, everyone," Medda's voice carried through the theatre. "It's show time! Open the doors and let the crowd in."

"We better get some seats before they all fill up." Skittery said.

He and Helena maneuvered their way through the crowd to a spot in the front row. Best seats in the house. The only better place to watch was backstage, but most of the newsies didn't know that because they hadn't experienced it.

* * *

Chase, Spark, and Story tried to slip away without causing a scene.

"Hey, where yous goin'?" Mush asked.

"You'll see." Chase put a finger to her lips.

Mush nodded, understanding. "Break a leg up there."

The girls slipped out the side door and went backstage to Medda's dressing room, already feeling pre-show jitters. It was difficult for them to tell if it was because of excitement or anxiety.

Chase blindly reached for the door knob in the darkness.

"Hey," Story grabbed her wrist. "Knock first." she admonished.

Chase rolled her eyes and then knocked.

"Come in." Medda sang.

Chase opened the door. The dressing room was everything the girls expected from Medda. The walls were painted pink and small crystal chandeliers hung from the ceiling. Lights surrounded an oval shaped mirror that was hung next to a vanity, the top of which was cluttered with cosmetics, perfumes, and bottles of nail polish. On the back wall was a large portrait of Medda and Mark, her husband, it was their wedding picture. There were also framed newspaper articles. A few of them were about Medda and her success owning Irving Hall, but most of them were about the strike last summer.

"I've laid out your costumes," Medda said as she sprayed on perfume. "Help yourselves to any of my makeup. I'll announce your act when it's time."

"When do we go on?" Spark implored.

"I'm saving the best for last." Medda simpered.

Story bit her lip. "More time for the nerves to set in."

"Aw, Honey," Medda stroked Story's red curls. "Don't tell me you have stage fright."

"I do- a little."

"You'll do great, I know it. Now, I have to get out there to start the show." And with that, Medda bowed and scurried out the door. The girls could hear the applause through the door.

"Let's do this." Chase pronounced.

The girls found their costumes in the wardrobe: glitzy pink and purple tea length dresses, perfectly tailored to fit each girl, with oversized hair bows that matched. The three girls warmed up their voices and stretched. Chase helped Story and Spark apply proper stage makeup, lining their eyes with just a little kohl and brushing their cheeks and lips with rouge.

About an hour later there was a knock. "You girls ready?" Medda called through the door.

"Yes."

Spark and Story helped Chase get onstage without her crutch. The length of the dress hid her metal brace well enough. When the curtains opened, the pianist lifted her up to sit on the piano.

"And now," Medda announced. "it is my pleasure to present three cuties from Brooklyn. Newsgirls by day, divas by night. Roselia Meyers and Theresa and Madeleine Masi."

The room erupted in applause as the curtain opened. The loudest cheers came from the newsies who were scattered about the theatre.

Helena nudged Skittery. "Do you know them?"

"Unfortunately."

"What do you mean?"

"Shhhhhhhhhh!" Jack berated. "They're startin'."

"We will talk about this later." Helena declared.

* * *

"...And this is Miss Chase Meyers, one of the stars." Denton said to his niece after the show had ended and only the newsies remained at Irving Hall.

"Pleased to meet you," said Helena, extending her hand. "You were great."

"Thank you," said Chase, sparkling. She had to restrain herself from spitting before she shook Helena's hand. Force of habit.

"Helena's going to be here for a while. She's attending a boarding school in Brooklyn for the year."

Denton told them. Spot and Chase looked at each other. They both knew what school Helena would be going to, the one Chase had to run away from when she was 13. But things would probably be different there now. Especially because Mr. Snyder was behind bars.

"Where are you from?" Spot asked.

"Philadelphia. My parents didn't like the schools there so they decided to send me here where my dear Uncle Denty could keep an eye on me while I become a proper lady." Helena grimaced at the last part.

"Now you get to do what you really want to do," Denton said, "Helena wants to be a reporter. She'll be my assistant while she's here."

Helena beamed. It was true, that's exactly what she wanted to do. Her parents were concerned with her future as a wife and mother. They made her attend countless parties in beautiful but uncomfortable gowns. And she had to acquaint men who were far from gentlemen. No one believed her when she screamed in the middle of her last birthday party because Neily Vanderbilt, 10 years her senior, pinched her bottom while they were dancing. Helena could not wait to get out of there.

She was thrilled when her father told her she was going to New York. She would be close enough to her uncle, who had voluntarily left the family fortune to become a self-made man. Surely he would understand, and he did.

"Good job up there girls," Skittery said, standing next to Helena. "Although, Chase, you should probably work on the chorus a bit more. You were a little flat."

Spot stepped forward but Chase grabbed his wrist. The two of them glared at Skittery.

"I am never flat, Skittery." she said.

"If anyone made a mistake, it was me." said Story, sighing. "I always mess up the harmony."

"I didn't notice anything." Helena chimed in.

"Yeah, you were practically perfect." Skittery said. He took a shot at flirtation and put his hat on Story's head. She laughed, releasing a hundred butterflies in Skittery's stomach.

"Alright, everybody listen up!" Medda commanded. The audience had gone, leaving only the newsies still in the theatre. "As you know, tomorrow is Hallowe'en."

A few of the boys nodded, whispering excitedly. Sometimes people would give them candy along with their pay for the papers. It was a luxury none of them could afford on their own which made it all the more special.

"It's also the last day Coney Island is opened."

The noise level rose some more.

Medda put her hands up to try to quiet the crowd. "So tomorrow, I'm pleased to announce, Mark and I are treating you all to a trip to Coney Island for the day!"

The room erupted with cheers.

"Hey Medda," said Spot. "Does that include Brooklyn?"

"Yes, it does. All the boys and girls who can come. And then we'll have dinner at my house." Medda stepped down from the stage and several boys came up and hugged her.

"I love Coney Island!" Chase exclaimed.

"It's been so long." Mush added.

"You guys have been?" asked Spot.

"Yeah," Chase prattled. "We went a few times when we were really young."

"Mhmmm..."

"That's right near the races, isn't it?" Spark realized.

"Yeah it is." said Racetrack.

"I'm gonna beat your-"

"No you won't!"

"Yes I will!"

"No you won't!"

"Yes I will!"

"No you won't!"

"Yes I will!"

"Someone make them stop!" Les cried melodramatically, covering his ears.

* * *

Skittery crossed his arms and leaned against the wall. The loud noises in the echoey theatre were hurting his ears and once again his "friends" were causing a scene. Thankfully everyone else had left. No wonder the rich couldn't stand the poor most of the time. They were irritating. Even Chase, the self-proclaimed lady was too buoyant to be considered refined.

Someone coughed uncomfortably. Skittery looked up, taking his time. It was Helena.

"Is something a' matter?" she asked. Clearly she wasn't yet comfortable with the rest of the newsies. Skittery couldn't blame her.

"Nothin'."

Helena leaned against the wall next to him. "You're not excited to visit Coney Island?"

"It's not really my thing."

"Oh..." There was a silence between them for a minute.

"So... Are you goin'?" he inquired, shattering the quiet, to both of their relief.

"Yes," she answered nodding. "It's last day before I start school." Helena frowned.

"I take it you're not happy to be going."

"Ugh, no!"

Skittery smirked. He found it interesting none of the kids he'd ever known to ever have gone to school hated it. Racetrack ran away from his school, Chase ran away from hers (though she had a very serious reason), and David refused to return even though his family was doing much better. Not ever having had the chance to attend, Skittery taught himself things just by reading the newspaper and working the city.

"How come you hate it so much?"

Helena sighed and stared straight ahead for a long while. Skittery could tell she was holding back tears so he looked away to save her from embarrassment.

"I don't think I can live up to what they expect me to be." she said finally. "There are so many rules that I don't want to follow and some of them I can't follow and I never seem to measure up."

"That's... Awful." he couldn't think of anything else he could say.

Helena took a moment to collect herself again. "I'm fine." she said a few times. Helena wiped a single tear and put on a smile. She turned to Skittery. "Are you going tomorrow?"

"... Yeah." Apparently his plans had changed.

Spot wasn't sure about this one. He never liked Coney Island. It always had a negative connotation in his mind. The posters he saw as a young child, advertising freak shows and other disturbing attractions, frightened him (not anymore, of course). He'd had no desire to go. And Spot remembered that Brooks, the original King of Brooklyn, always had trouble with the Coney Island newsies. Coney Island was still part of Brooklyn, which meant the King was in charge of them as well. But those newsies were quite odd. They did their own thing and followed their own rules. And any newsies who didn't listen to the King were a threat. After all, Brooks was killed when a small group of rogue newsies staged an uprising.

Spot wasn't afraid of something like that happening again. If he didn't have Chase to worry about and no second in command (besides her) he'd challenge the traitors and get it over with. But come to think of it, since Brooks's passing, Spot hadn't heard anything from Coney Island or any of the other shady Brooklyn gangs.

Spot glanced at the other newsies, specifically Jack Kelly. None of them appeared to have any mixed feelings about going. In fact, Chase and Mush were bouncing with excitement.

Spot would just go with it. He couldn't take this joy from Chase. It had been a difficult few months and she deserved it. Besides, it was her birthday tomorrow. That didn't mean he wouldn't keep an eye out for anything out of the ordinary, though.

* * *

 **A/N: "Beautiful Dreamer" is a real song written in the 1860's and a boy like David would definitely have known how to play it because parlor songs were mainly played in middle class families for entertainment. It's such a pretty song! Look it up. I knew when I listened to this it sounded familiar. This song is actually in an episode of Drake and Josh. Drake sings it with Craig and Eric. Expect a lot of songs in this story. Oh, and 5,000 points if you can find hidden things from Newsies the musical ;)**

 **Also, Cornelius "Neily" Vanderbilt III was born September 5, 1873, making him exactly 10 years older than 16 year old Helena. Originally I wanted her "unpleasant" experience with him to have happened at her last birthday but I found out he was married in 1896. The Vanderbilts would have wanted their son to court girls from families of high standing (like the fictional Dentons). While I don't know for sure whether Neily was a party boy, I do know that he was (briefly) disinherited after eloping with socialite Grace Graham Wilson (who was actually 3 years older than him!). Neily and Grace had a bit more luck with love than their son Cornelius IV. The two stayed together for the rest of their lives while their son was married a total of 7 times!**


	3. Chapter 3

October 31, 1899

The next morning a few of the Manhattan boys (Jack, David, Les, Mush, Crutchy, Racetrack, and Kid Blink) went up to Brooklyn to help move things along. It was hard, Brooklyn had a lot of young kids under the age of 10. They almost never got out the door on time.

"Good morning, boys." Ms. Casella greeted cheerfully as she opened the door.

The boys tipped their hats to her. "Have you had breakfast?"

"Aw, you don't have to do that, Ma'am." David said.

"Yeah, we're good," Jack agreed.

But the boys' stomachs growling begged to differ.

Ms. Casella raised an eyebrow. "Don't lie to me, I'll always find out," then she smiled. "Would you boys like some muffins and jam? I made some fresh last night."

"Well..."The newsies shared glances. It was too tempting. Ms. Casella's jam was famous, at least to the working kids of Manhattan and Brooklyn.

"Sure!"

"Absolutely."

"What kind a' jam?"

"Need some help in there?"

Ms. Casella laughed. "Make yourselves at home. The girls are upstairs getting ready, but you might want to let them know you're here so they come down."

The newsboys watched Ms. Casella walk through the kitchen door.

"She does too much for us." Racetrack sighed.

"Yeah, she's an angel." added Blink.

They waited a few minutes as Ms. Casella made them their breakfast. They savored every bite of their delicious meal. Besides David and Les, none of them could afford breakfast, so this was a treat indeed. After that, they talked about the headlines and the previous day, arguing over who had a more exciting time. Then Mush, Jack, and David got on Kid Blink and Racetrack's case about their love lives. Apparently Crutchy already had his eye on a girl (Mush insisted on giving him some advice on how to pick her up).

* * *

It was an hour later. The boys had run out of things to talk about. David and Les plunked out a duet on the piano, it was the only one they both knew, and they absolutely hated it. Race and Blink were nodding off over a card game. The doorbell rang.

"Huh?!" Kid Blink was startled awake. He pushed up his eye patch, it was starting to slip down.

"Could one of you kind gentlemen get the door for me?" Ms. Casella called from the kitchen.

"Sure thing, Ma'am!" Crutchy jumped up first and hobbled to the door. The other boys laughed at Crutchy's enthusiasm. Even his time in the refuge didn't crush his spirit. He was a light for all of them. "Hi'ya, Spot!"

"Hey, Crutchy," Spot punched Crutchy in the arm to say 'Hello'. "Are the girls ready?"

"Nope, we've been waitin' a while."

"How long have yous been here?"

"About an hour."

Spot shook his head impatiently and sat down on the couch next to Jack.

"Where are your guys, Spot?" Jack asked.

"They're back at the docks waitin'." He tilted his head to try to listen to the girls to get an indication of when they would come downstairs.

"This a regular thing?"

Spot gave him a look. "What do you think?"

Until Chase came into his life, Spot was never late for anything. Of course, being the King, he got to say what time everything started. It was very annoying when he wanted to be the first at the circulation desk and she was still doing her hair.

"What is takin' them so long?" Les complained. He had been more than patient for his age and now he was starting to get antsy.

Mush smiled sympathetically. "Girls got a lot more to get ready. They wear more, like skirts and dresses and there's lots of buttons and ribbons. And then there's their hair and maybe makeup. They also wear more underneath, you know, underwear..." He trailed off when the guys gave him weird looks. "What? I got a lot of experience with girls, alright?"

Jack raised an eyebrow. "And what kinda experience do you have with girls' underwear?"

Mush's face turned a deep red.

"Ah, we're just messin' with you, Mush." Jack smacked him on the back. Mush gave him a good-natured shove.

* * *

Helena knocked on the boys' lodging house door, waiting for her uncle to park the car and join her. Through the walls, Helena could hear the boys fighting and clamoring to get ready. She glanced back to the street briefly and the door swung open.

It was one of Skittery's friends, Bumlets, she thought was his name. "Hey," he smiled a little, self-consciously smoothing out his thick, dark, disheveled hair. "You can come in- if you really want to. I think we're almost ready."

Helena gave a cheerful laugh. "Rough morning?"

He exhaled. "You have no idea."

Bumlets led Helena inside, Denton went to talk to Kloppman. The scene was chaotic. Boys ran through the lodging house half dressed, instigating problems. Toys, cards, and articles of clothing were strewn about the floor. Exasperated, the older newsies tried to calm things down so they could leave for Coney Island.

"TUMBLER, GET YOUR PANTS ON!" A blur of pink and orange bolted down the steps. Bumlets stepped aside but Helena wasn't that quick so she was knocked to the ground.

"Ha ha!" Tumbler (the orange blur) stuck out his tongue at his pursuer and escaped to the foyer.

"I'm so sorry," Helena looked up and saw Skittery blushing apologetically. He offered his hand to help her up. Skittery was a mess, with his shirt half tucked but not buttoned and his suspenders hung around his waist and his hair stuck out at odd angles.

"It's ok," she smoothed out her dress. "No harm done."

He looked relieved.

"Want some help?"

Skittery nodded a little irritably. "If you can."

Helena stepped into the middle of the room and surveyed the situation. She clapped her hands once. No one seemed to notice. She tapped foot as she thought of another idea.

"Hey!" she shouted. "Boys!" it wasn't working. "EVERYONE, SHUT UP!"

Everyone stopped dead in their tracks, especially surprised to see that the screamer was Helena and not one of the Brooklyn girls.

Helena had to hold back a triumphant smile. Skittery and the other boys just stared with amazement. "Ok, now that I've got your attention..." she panned the room. "It's time to get ready. We're going to have a really fun day today but that's not going to happen if we can't even leave. You guys want to have fun, right?"

A few boys nodded.

"Well than, get dressed and get out the door."

They newsies slowly made their way upstairs, dragging their feet like it was such a hardship.

"I'll give you each a nickel if we can get out of here by 8:00." Which was in 5 minutes.

That woke them up. The boys raced upstairs to complete their task.

The older boys still gaped at Helena.

"What?" she smiled sheepishly.

"How did you do that?" They were astonished that a girl such as Helena had such a big voice and presence like that.

* * *

The guys voted to send Mush upstairs to get the girls.

"Why do I gotta go?" he hesitated. Mush was always made to things like this for his friends because he almost always agreed or gave in.

"Because you're blood related to one girl and you're in love with another." Jack stated. "You know them the best."

"Why can't Spot do it?"

"'Cause I have to deal with 'em every day." Spot quipped.

"And you don't think I do?"

"You don't get 'em in the mornings."

"Plus, Romeo," Racetrack chewed on his cigar. "You have a lot of experience with girls."

The guys all laughed.

"Come on, fellas-" Mush was starting to get whiney.

"Mush," Kid Blink put a hand on his friend's shoulder. "You know they're never comin' down unless you go up there."

Mush scoffed, shaking his head. It was too early to get into this.

David pulled out his pocket watch just as the church bells began to chime the hour. "Guys, it's 8:00. We're gonna be late."

The five other boys stared at him expectantly.

"Alright," Mush broke down. "I'm goin'." He stomped over to the steps.

"You can do it!" Crutchy encouraged in his sunny way. Mush tried his hardest not to smile but he couldn't. He slowly made his way up the steps and knocked on the door. It was silent downstairs as his friends listened.

Mush knocked on the door.

"Who is it?" one of the girls called through the door.

"It's me, Mush. We gotta go. It's gettin' late."

There was a pause.

"Hey, Chase!" The girl yelled. "We gotta go."

"Who says?" Mush recognized his sister's voice.

"Mush!"

"He doesn't have any idea what he's talking about." The girls giggled.

Mush rolled his eyes and leaned against the door. "Come on, Rosie. You're pretty enough already, what's there to fix?"

Mush could hear her come right up to the door.

"Are you a girl?"

"...Well, no-"

"Right, so how would you know what it takes to get ready?"

"I wouldn't." Mush sighed.

"Well then go join your friends and we'll be out in a few minutes."

* * *

"Is everyone here?" Medda did a quick head count as she, her husband, Denton, Helena, and all of the newsies stood at the entrance to Coney Island.

"Manhattan's all here." Jack said.

"And Brooklyn." Spot smirked and lifted his chin.

"Ok, I've got the tickets and some extra money for later- are we forgetting anything?" Panic rose in Medda's voice

"It's alright dear," Mark took her hand. "I'm sure we didn't forget anything."

As Medda and Mark made sure everything was in place, Helena and Denton scrambled to assemble Denton's camera. They wanted to document this special occasion.

"Alright," Denton projected his voice so everyone could hear. "Everyone, come in close. Let's take a picture."

"Ah! get your elbow outta my side!"

"Gimme some room, I'm dyin' over here!"

"Move your butt!"

The next few minutes were painful (literally and figuratively) as the newsies lined up to take the picture. None of them could sit still for a very long time, let alone pose for the picture. Especially the little ones.

When the kids were finally posed and ready to go, Helena took one last look, trying to picture how the photograph would turn out. As she scanned the group, she noticed something was, in fact, missing.

"Wait, where's-"

A voice spoke from behind, causing her to jump. "Where's Skittery? I'm right here." Skittery said irritably. "Yous forgot me again, didn't yous?" Skittery had stepped out to take Tumbler to relieve himself before they went in the park.

"It's alright, I'm used to it." Several of Skittery's friends stared at the ground. Just like the previous night, things like this were regular occurences.

Racetrack spoke up first. "It's too early to be 'Glum and Dumb'."

Skittery glared.

Race didn't really mean it so insensitive as it sounded. He was just trying to help his friend cheer up, and comedy and sarcasm were Racetrack's specialty. Too bad Skittery was not in the mood.

Denton tried to change the subject. "Skittery, why don't you go stand next to Specs."

Skittery obeyed, still offended that his friends had forgotten about him yet again.

"On the count of three. One... Two... Three, smile!"

The flash powder lit up. "AHHH, I'M BLIND!" Les cried.

Jack picked him up and swung him over his shoulder, stifling a laugh. "You're not blind."

"Yeah, kid," said Blink. "You don't even know what blind is."

Everyone stopped and stared at Kid Blink.

"I'm just kiddin'!" he laughed.

* * *

As soon as they entered the park, the younger kids took off. They had never seen anything like Coney Island and they wanted to do everything they saw. It was spectacular.

"No, guys! Don't-" David yelled as Les, Snipeshooter, Boots, and Tumbler escaped toward the Steeplechase Horse Race attraction.

"Come on, Davey!" Story grabbed David's hand and chased after the boys. "We'll meet yous at the show later!"

"Ok- No! Katrina, Ellie, get back here!" Chase attempted to run after the little girls who wanted to ride the carousel. For obvious reasons, Chase couldn't keep up and she slipped in the process. "Ahh!" Fortunately, Mush caught her from behind.

"Careful," he warned as he helped her to her feet.

"I am! I just don't want the girls to get lost in the crowd."

"I'll get 'em." Spot volunteered heroically, sprinting after the two young newsgirls who were quite fast. He grabbed them around their waists and carried them back to the group. The little girls giggled wildly in response. "Yous don't wanna get lost, do ya's?"

"Maybe we do." Ellie sassed.

"Yeah," Katrina always followed Ellie's example.

Spot (carefully) dropped the two girls. "Yous two have been listenin' to Spark and Chase, haven't ya?"

"Uh huh!" Ellie and Katrina smiled innocently and then ran back to Chase and the others.

Spot sauntered back at his own leisure. "I hope you know you got two little smart-alecs on your hands."

* * *

"Come on, slow-pokes!" Les called over his shoulder. The boys were already onto the next: the Ferris Wheel.

"Davey, I don't know about this one." said Story.

"Why not?" he asked. "Oh, right. You're scared of heights."

She nodded.

"It's alright, I'll be right with you." David put his arm around her and she calmed down a little.

"Sorry about that earlier," Helena apologized, she and Skittery were the only two, besides Denton, Mark, and Medda, who didn't run off to the rides or chasing little kids. "I didn't realize you were gone. There was so much going on and I was helping my uncle-"

"Nah, it's fine. It ain't your job to keep track of me." said Skittery, still a little bitter.

"I take it this happens to you a lot?"

Skittery thought for a second, "Yeah, I have great friends, don't I?"

"Well," Helena sighed. "At least you have friends."

Skittery stopped short. He was not expecting to hear something like that from a girl like Helena. He'd only met her the night before, but she seemed like a girl people would want to get to know. She was unique, interesting.

"You mean to tell me you don't have any friends?"

Helena nodded sadly. "I don't really get along with girls my age. They all think I'm odd. I'm hoping me coming to New York and attending a new school will be a brand new start for me." she sighed hopefully.

Skittery locked eyes with Helena. There was even pain in the upper class. He could see it behind her eyes. "Well, you got one friend at least." Skittery took Helena's arm. She beamed.

Helena and Skittery walked around aimlessly for a few minutes, trying to figure out where to go first. The lines were long and the park was busy. People were trying to get their last minute trip to Coney Island in before the end of the season. The two of them finally decided to go on the Ferris Wheel. The line was shorter, and more importantly, they didn't have to walk that far to get there. In front of them in line were David, Story, Les, Boots, and Tumbler.

"Hey Skittery, Helena" David took off his hat.

"Hello," Helena said.

Skittery simply acknowledged David by nodding and then he turned to Story. "What are you guys up to?"

"Just watchin' these little ones."

"Oh," said Skittery. "Need some help?" he really didn't expect much of a response. Story was one who liked to deal with things by herself.

"That would be great," she said gratefully. "Me and David just realized the Ferris Wheel only has 4 seats per car. We wouldn't all fit."

"We'll take a couple of them. Is that ok for you?" Skittery looked back at Helena.

"Yes, that's alright with me." Helena answered politely.

As soon as the Ferris wheel was unloaded, the younger boys scrambled to get seats, Les and Boots in one, Snipeshooter and Tumbler in another.

"David, over here!" Les called his brother.

"We'll see you guys back at the bottom." David and Story took their seats on either side of Les and Boots. As soon as they sat down, Story grabbed David's hand and closed her eyes.

Skittery stared at the couple longingly. He wished Story would give him the time of day. She did, but it wasn't what he wanted. They were just friends. And that's all they would ever be.

"You kids gettin' on or what?" the man running the ride asked impatiently.

"Yes, we are," Helena took Skittery by the hand and dragged him into the car next to Tumbler. She sat on the other side of Snipeshooter. "You seem a little preoccupied."

"Huh?" Skittery snapped out of his thoughts. "Oh, no I'm not. Just tired, is all."


	4. Chapter 4

"What do yous wanna do next?" asked Mush. He, Spark, Chase, and Spot had just finished riding Cages of Wild Wolves, which was quite scary.

"I don't know," Spark glanced around at what was close by. "Oooh, we could go da- never mind." She had seen a sign advertising the famous Coney Island Ballroom. Remembering Chase's condition, she bit her tongue.

Chase, seeing the same sign, stiffened and and walked faster. She pushed past a few people without even saying "excuse me" which was not like her. Spot followed close behind and snatched her arm before she could go any farther.

"You're gonna trip, walkin' that fast."

"I'm only going to trip if you keep grabbing me like this." she stopped. Instead of looking at Spot, she turned her eyes to the ground. Chase wasn't in the mood to argue with him today. Spot led her to a bench and they sat down together.

He kissed her hand. "Is this all 'cause you can't dance?"

Chase nodded and tears filled her eyes. Since the rally, it was like a part of her was lost. Sure, she was as still opinionated and stubborn as ever. And she still drove Spot and Mush crazy, but her light was gone. The sparkle in her eyes, the glow when she laughed, weren't there anymore. The boys figured it would come back when she got used to her brace, but it was like a prison to her. Spot had seen a faint glimmer return the night before, when she sang at Medda's but it left as quickly as it came.

"You know you're gonna get that thing off soon and you won't have to use this stupid crutch no more." Spot brushed Chase's hair out of her face. "Medda said you might even get it off before Christmas. And then we can dance all day and night, if you want."

Chase looked up and stared into Spot's bright blue eyes. To Chase's knowledge, Spot had only danced once in public and that was to save her life. She figured it was a phenomenon she would never see again. "You really mean that?" she asked hopefully.

"Of course." He squeezed her hand. They stayed like that for a moment. "Oh," said Spot. "I got somethin' for ya."

"What for?"

"Well, it's your birthday, ain't it?"

"I guess it is," said Chase, remembering the date. She hadn't really celebrated her birthday much since her and Mush's parents had died. At Ms. Trenton's school no one really cared about her enough to acknowledge her birthday, besides Katherine. Katherine was the daughter of Joseph Pulitzer. When Pulitzer gained custody of Mush and Chase, (they had no other living relatives) he sent Chase to the same school as his daughter. One year Katherine had her family's chef bake a cake for her to share with Chase.

Spot produced a small packet made of folded newspaper. "It ain't much, but I hope you like it."

Chase tore through the paper and smiled immediately at what she saw. They were beautiful pink silk ribbons, Chase's favorite color.

"Oh, Spot, they're lovely!" she exclaimed.

"I'm glad ya like 'em," he smiled. "Want me to help you put them in your hair?"

"Of course," said Chase. "Where did you get them?"

"I have my ways…" Spot said cryptically as he tied one ribbon in Chase's hair.

"You didn't steal them, did you?"

"What kind of a man do you take me for?" Spot pretended to be offended.

"Well…"

"I can promise ya I didn't steal 'em."

"What about-"

And I didn't bribe or threaten no one, neither. I know a girl that works in a dress shop. There were just some scraps lyin' around so I gave her a pape for free in exchange for the ribbons."

"I see," Chase said icily. "A girl that works in a dress shop?"

Spot looked at Chase. "Aww, come on. You're not seriously jealous of some girl I know. I promise you, there's nothin'-"

Chase began to laugh. "I'm just kidding."

Mush and Spark finally caught up with them. "You ok?" Mush asked his sister right away.

"Yeah," she smiled. Spot saw that brief glint in her eye for a second. Real happiness. Not the fake smile she put on for show.

The boys helped Chase stand up and Spark, Spot, and Mush pulled her into a group hug.

"What's goin' on?" The four of them looked up. It was Jack and Sarah.

"Just tryin' to cheer Rosie up." Mush answered.

"Aww, what's wrong?" Sarah took both of Chase's hands and studied the girl's face maternally. Chase's eyes were still a little bit red from crying.

"Nothing." Chase reported.

Jack raised his eyebrows. "You sure about that?" Chase was like a younger sister to Jack and he treated her as such.

"I'm fine now, really." She had enough people feeling sorry for her already.

The couple thought for a second but after a beat they accepted Chase's answer.

Jack's arm returned to its normal spot, casually slung around Sarah's shoulders. "We're headin' to the roller coaster, wanna come?"

"Oh! The roller coaster sounds like a great idea!" Spark jumped up and down excitedly. "Let's go."

* * *

After the Ferris Wheel, Helena and Skittery met up with a few of Skittery's friends: Bumlets, Pie Eater, Snoddy, Swifty, and Dutchy. They were interesting to talk to, much more interesting than the high-society boys her parents kept trying to set her up with. They seemed seemed surprised as to why a "dame", as they put it, would pay a guy like Skittery any attention. Helena simply smiled or laughed in response, deciding they were complimenting her. After about twenty minutes of that, the seven of them found themselves at the roller coaster.

Skittery spotted Story and David entering the line together. "Let's go on this." He got into line without waiting for the rest of them.

Helena and the boys followed.

"What's going on with him?" Helena lowered her voice.

"Skittery," Bumlets whispered. "Really likes Story."

"Ahh, I see." a knowing smile crossed Helena's face. "But isn't she with-"

"Yeah," Swifty answered. "So be quiet about it."

"He's hoping she'll leave Dave for him one day." Dutchy added.

"Skittery's a dreamer?" Helena couldn't see it. He seemed very pessimistic.

Snoddy cut in. "It's a lost cause if you ask me."

Bumlets smacked him. "Nobody asked you."

Helena looked over and saw Skittery making casual conversation with Story. David commented here and there but the other two were doing most of the talking. Helena wondered if David knew as much as these three boys how much Skittery liked his girl. He seemed absolutely oblivious to that fact. So did Story.

"What are yous lookin' at?" Helena and the boys turned to see Racetrack and Kid Blink getting in line. It was Racetrack who had spoken.

"Our own personal romance novel." Pie Eater remarked.

The two other boys glanced at each other with confused expressions. Helena jerked her head in the direction of the love triangle.

"Ohhh," Blink said after a second. "You mean _them_."

Racetrack pushed by his friends to get a better look. "What's Skittery gettin' himself into now?"

"Trouble, tryin' to get another guy's girl. Is Mush watchin'? He's gotta see this!"

Helena was amazed how these newsies were so interested in love-related drama. She didn't think such worldly boys would be fascinated with something like this.

Finally, the line started moving.

"Dave, over here!" Les pulled his older brother into the first car.

"Sorry Story," David said. There wasn't any room for her to sit next to him.

"It's ok, Dave," Story grabbed Skittery's arm. "I'll just ride with Skittery." she smiled at him (giving Skittery butterflies once again) and she pulled him into the car behind David and Les.

After that, everyone made a mad dash to get in their cars. Somehow Helena ended up next to Kid Blink, who was very talkative. But he made her laugh. Their conversation was interesting, to say the least.

"You ever been on a roller coaster?" he asked, casually reclining with his hands behind his head.

"Once, a couple years ago."

"Oh..." He trailed off for a few seconds. "You got a significant other?"

"No,"

He smiled at her, interested. "You want one?"

"No, not at the moment." Helena laughed self consciously. Of course she wanted one, but not necessarily Kid Blink. He was cute, the eyepatch didn't throw her, but she'd just barely met him. And her mother would die if she ever told her she was in love with a newsboy.

* * *

 **A/N: Do you think that's foreshadowing right there? Hmmm...?**

* * *

As soon as the roller coaster cars returned to the station Story jumped out and took David's arm, giggling from the adrenaline rush.

Skittery just stood there feeling completely rejected.

"Are you alright?" Helena had come up on his left.

"Yeah..." He kicked up dirt, watching the happy couple walk away hand in hand.

Helena wasn't convinced. "You're trying too hard," she said. "Just be yourself and she'll come to you."

Skittery stopped short. "How do you know-"

"Relax," Helena smiled. "I'm a girl, I know these things."

* * *

Everyone headed toward the show, the last of the day and the season, which was located under a tent in the middle of the park. Coney Island was famous for its bizarre shows and displays. People came from all over the world to see it.

Half of the seats under the tent were taken up by the newsies. They did their best to be polite for the other half of the audience. The show was a set of several acts. Some were very disturbing, which meant a lot of screaming from the girls. The boys loved it because it gave them an excuse to keep their girls close. Katrina and Ellie ended up on Spot and Chase's laps halfway through the show, which meant less cuddling for them. Being Brooklyn's leaders, they were used to this by now.

The final act were the headliners, The Children of Darkness. They were (according to the host) seventeen year old twins born of the Devil himself, given all kinds of strange abilities. They were both very attractive. The girl had bleached blonde hair and she wore a black and red costume that was almost scandalous. Her eyes were thickly lined with kohl. The boy was tall and lean. He had dark hair, almost black, and very dark eyes. The two of them could contort their bodies into impossible positions. They could make dangerous stunts look easy. Their final act was spectacular. It was a magic act.

The boy did several simple but amazing tricks. He made a dove disappear and then reappear. He read people's minds. He was somehow able to switch a girl's parasol with a gentleman's cane on the other side of the room. By his last trick, the audience was completely enthralled.

"For my final trick I need a volunteer from the audience. Someone why isn't afraid to be faced with the power of the Darkness." The boy got an amused, almost devilish smirk on his face. His statement was met with a nervous laugh from the audience. The boy and his sister stepped down from the stage, she from stage right and he from stage left, and walked through the aisles.

The twins stopped on both sides of the second row where Mush, Spark, Spot (and Ellie), and Chase (and Katrina) sat. They took a good look at the row before making eye contact with each other. It looked like they were communicating somehow.

He raised a eyebrow and lifted his chin.

She quickly shook her head.

He nodded slowly.

And then she nodded.

The audience was completely silent.

After a moment, the boy looked down and set his eyes on Chase.

"Would you like to be part of my trick?" He gave her a charming smile, patiently awaiting her answer.

Spot stared at the boy. He looked vaguely familiar, usually Spot had a pretty good mind for faces. This boy's face was hard to pinpoint as to where Spot had seen him before. He didn't like the way he was eyeing up Chase.

As she was about to answer the boy's question, Spot grabbed her hand and squeezed it.

She glanced at Spot and then back to the boy, understanding the message.

"I'm sorry," she smiled apologetically. "I can't." Chase lifted her left leg to show him her brace.

"I understand." The boy bowed and turned to find someone else.

After the last trick, all of the acts came onstage for a curtain call. Spot studied the boy and his sister's faces. He had seen both of them before, but where?

* * *

As soon as they got back to the lodging house Racetrack started a poker game with Spark, Mush, Jack, Kid Blink, and a few others. Spot and Skittery both joined to get their mind off of things for different and David read books in the corner. Chase wasn't in the mood to play poker or read so she sat on the couch and talked to Helena.

"So you're going to Ms. Trenton's school in Brooklyn?"

"Yes," said Helena.

"Have you met her?" Chase hesitated to ask this question.

Helena grimaced in response.

"She is awful, isn't she?"

"I don't think I'm going to have a good time there," Helena smiled sadly. "I'm probably not going to make any friends."

Chase nodded, understanding. "I didn't have many friends when I was there either, just Pulitzer's daughter Katherine. I bet you two would get along great, but I heard she's going to college someplace else now." Katherine had been a prominent writer during the strike, writing under the name Katherine Plumber. Chase hadn't been able to see her before she convinced her father to let her attend college. "You have friends here though, Spot and I have our lodging houses in Brooklyn and you can stop by anytime."

"Thank you," Helena smiled.

The poker game ended and Spark was the winner.

Spot got up from the table and crossed the room to the other girls. "Yous ready to go?" Spot addressed Chase and Story as Spark danced around the room, taking money from the boys who owed her.

"Yeah, hold on a second." Spark said, jete-ing across the room and running into Mush's arms as they kissed.

Story and David stood up together, barely breaking eye contact for a second.

"Bye, Davey." Story said, hugging him.

"Bye, Story." He said. They stayed like that for a moment. Skittery grit his teeth, trying not to get too jealous, although that was inevitable.

"Come'ere, Hon'." Spot said, helping Chase up.

Chase raised her eyebrow at Spot. The two of them played this game where they came up with affectionate nicknames for each other. None of them ever seemed to fit. All of her ideas made Spot sound like a pansy (at least to him) and Spot liked calling her either Chase (he was the one who gave her her nickname) or (rarely) Roselia. But he felt like her given name was too pretty for him to throw around in everyday conversation.

She smiled as she took his hand. At least he was trying.

"Coming, Dear..."

"All this love in here is killing us!" Racetrack quipped. "And get a room, will ya?" he smacked Mush on the back, who was in mid-kiss with Spark.

"Race!" Spark yelled. "Mind your own business."

"Don't mind him," Mush retorted. "He's just jealous 'cause he don't have a girl."

The room erupted with "Ooooh"s from the other newsies.

"Don't need a girl when I have Lady Luck." Said Racetrack.

"Hmmm, are you sure she hasn't left ya? Because you owe me two bucks." Spark said, crossing her arms, a triumphant smile on her face.

Before Racetrack could think up a good comeback, Story grabbed her sister's hand.

"We better go."

"One more kiss." Mush said.

"Tomorrow, you'll see each other tomorrow." Chase said, exasperated.

Mush stuck his tongue out at Chase and then pecked Spark on the lips one last time.

"Bye guys!"

"Finally, we're outta there." Spot exhaled dramatically. Chase pulled his hat over his eyes. "Hey, if I fall you'll fall." He readjusted his hat and pulled her closer.

"At least we'll fall together." Chase laid her head on his shoulder as they walked.

Spot was still bothered by the memory of those twins. He had to figure this out.

Spot snapped out of his thoughts when he heard a sound. It sounded like footsteps. Like someone was following them. He glanced over his shoulder but it was too dark to see.

"What is it, Love?" Chase asked.

"Nothin'… Cupcake."

"Cupcake? Is that the best you can-"

"Shhh!" Spot stopped her. "Did you hear that?" he whispered. But the sound was gone.

* * *

 **A/N: Annnnnd cue the Twilight Zone theme music. Anyway, I'm noticing that these chapters are quite short, just over 1,000 words*, which is about how long the chapters in "Five Thousand Reasons..." originally were. Also, I decided that once the plot starts really moving I'm going to reveal some more about my original intention (the crossover) for this story. So stay tuned!**

 **(*Now you'll notice that the chapters are much longer since I started pairing some of them up)**


	5. Chapter 5

December 1, 1899

Helena sighed as she picked up the telephone.

She had been at her school for a month now and she didn't feel welcome at all. The girls her age weren't very nice and the headmistress always seemed to be in a bad mood. She hadn't seen the newsies since Hallowe'en. She did know Spot stopped by a few times to talk to the maids but the girls were forbidden to talk to "the help".

Now it was the weekend, a Friday night, and she had no plans.

When she was sure no one was around, she rapidly dialed her uncle's number on the phone in the hall. The girls were supposed to ask to use it but she didn't have time for her request to be rejected. She wanted to get out of there fast.

"Hello?" Her uncle picked up the phone.

"Oh, Uncle Denty, thank goodness!" she exhaled.

She could hear him laughing on the other end. "What is it?"

"Please come pick me up. I think I'm going to die of boredom!"

"It's that bad, huh?"

"Yes."

There was a long pause. Helena was afraid he was going to say no.

"I'll be right over. Pack a bag for the weekend, you deserve a break."

"Thank you so much." Helena actually thought she was going to cry.

"Where do you want to go?" Denton asked as he helped Helena into the car.

"I don't care. Just somewhere."

"Ah ha..." Denton thought for a minute. "I think I know just the place."

* * *

"Hey, Skittery." Jack commanded. "Move it! The lady wants to rest."

Skittery rolled his eyes. As he got kicked out of his seat because Chase wanted to sit. Since when did she become the queen?

Oh right, he thought, when she started courting Spot.

And then there was a knock at the door. He might as well get it while he was still up, although it was a little strange to be getting visitors at this time of night.

"What do you want- oh." Skittery blushed. It was Denton and Helena, who was in her school uniform.

"Hello, Skittery." And after all this time, she remembered his name.

He just stood there with an embarrassed smile on his face.

"Do you want to let us inside?" She asked.

"Oh, right." He quickly gestured for them to come in.

Helena took Skittery's arm, and then she pulled away when he flinched.

"Sorry," her blush matched his. "I- um, I'm just used to having an escort everywhere I go." That was another thing about her school, if she did go out she was required to have an escort. Ms. Trenton's girls would go to church and other outings with boys from another school in Brooklyn. Most of the boys she had spent any time with were either dreadfully awkward or absolute scoundrels (and sometimes they were both).

"It's ok." Skittery offered his arm, breathing normally. She was nervous too. He wasn't sure that was a good thing, exactly. But it made him feel better.

He led her to the front room where everyone else was. They had to step over Story and David who were laying on their stomachs and taking turns reading to each other. Skittery grabbed three mismatched chairs from the dining room (which they only used on holidays) and set them on the floor.

"Thank you." Helena smiled.

"Don't mention it."

Denton didn't say anything, he just nodded to Skittery and went over to talk to David.

"So... It's been a while." Skittery was never the best at making conversation.

"Yes, about a month."

"What brings you here? You're a rich upper class girl, shouldn't you be out at parties with other socialites?"

"Hey!" she smacked his shoulder playfully."You're a handsome young man. Shouldn't you be out courting women?"

Skittery did his best to hide the inevitable blush. "Ok, point taken. That's not really me, anyway, it's more of Mush's thing but since he's no longer single..." Skittery trailed off, gesturing to the poker game as Mush and Spark gazed into each other's eyes between turns. "Anyone special in your life?"

"Oh, no." Helena shook her head. "My mother has tried to set me up but I- I haven't found anyone." Helena looked at the ground. This was always a sore subject for her. She honestly tried to make an effort to catch the attention of the men her mother wanted her to be with. The problem was, they always found something wrong with her. Most of them didn't want a woman with a brain in her head, but that wasn't Helena. "What about you? I mean- anyone besides the obvious- from the past?"

Skittery sighed. "It's not like I've had any time for girls lately." Life had been better after the strike (despite the hundreds of "I told you so"s from his friends for not wanting to strike). The girls found a rebellious striker more attractive, but Skittery didn't want just any girl, he wanted Story. And that was never going to happen.

"We're still young." She understood him.

* * *

Story opened the door at the second set of knocks for the night.

"Oh, hello, Medda." she said.

"Good evening, Story. Is Chase ready?"

Story nodded, looking back over her shoulder at Chase who was reading one of Story and David's books. It was a copy of "The Count Of Monte Cristo", entirely in French, which Chase had learned fluently at the boarding school, so only she could read it. "I'll go get her."

"Does she need help getting out the door?" Mark asked.

"No, I think she's fine. If not, Spot will probably want to be involved somehow."

"Ok, Dearie," Medda said. "We'll be waiting in the carriage."

Story shut the door and went in to talk to Chase. This was it.

"Chase," It took a second try to get her out of the book. "Chase,"

"What?"

"It's time."

A look of nervousness and excitement crosses Chase's face.

"Ok," she breathed. "I'm ready."

Story helped Chase stand up and then she handed her the little overnight bag that was next to the couch.

"What's this?" Spot stood up from the poker table. Spark and Mush shortly joined him.

"I have to go to Medda's. It's time!" Chase smiled radiantly.

"It's time?" Mush got up and hugged his sister tightly.

Spot crossed the room to her. "You nervous?"

"A little." Chase twirled her hair nervously as Mush released her.

"I wouldn't worry about it." Spot hugged her too.

Spark sauntered over, coming between the two boys. "Do you want us to come with?"

Chase thought for a second. "It would help to have some support, but Spot, I think you and Mush should stay here."

He took her hands. "Why?"

"Because I know you'll both...react violently to whatever's going on. I don't want to cause you two stress."

"Are you sure?" Mush stared into her green eyes.

"Yes." As much as she wanted the two boys to be with her, the last thing Chase wanted was for Spot and her brother to worry. She'd thought about it for a long time and she had decided the only way to avoid that was to not to let them come.

"You're probably right." Spot sighed and then smiled. "You want me to sell some papes for you?"

"You don't have to do that."

"Well I'm gonna, 'cause you need the money."

Chase rummaged through her bag to find a few coins to give pay for her papers. She finally pulled out a quarter from one of the pockets. "Take this then."

Spot put his hands up, refusing the quarter. "Nah, this one's on me."

"Fine." She slipped the coin back into the pocket. "I better go now."

"We'll tell yous guys when it's all over." said Spark.

"Ok," Spot pulled Chase in close and kissed her. She stayed in his embrace for a long time.

Chase was planning on slipping out with Story and Spark in secret. At this lodging house, there was no chance.

"Hey, fellas!" Jack projected as he stood on his chair at the poker table. "Say 'bye' and 'good luck' to Chase for her big day tomorrow!"

"Good luck, Chase!" a chorus of newsies sounded.

"Buona fortuna, Chase." Racetrack pronounced in Italian, his second language. "You'll do great, I'm sure." he gave her a quick squeeze.

"Don't die on us, now." Kid Blink added, receiving a smack to the back of the head from Jack.

"Bye, guys!"

* * *

 **A/N: So can you guess what's going on? You probably can. I asked this question when I originally posted this chapter and I got a ton of responses that were spot on (haha pun intended). Personally, as I wrote this it seemed like Chase was getting ready to deliver a baby or something. But that's just me...**

* * *

December 2, 1899

"Think she'll be different now? I only known her with the crutch." Crutchy asked as he, David, and Jack sat on the steps of the lodging house, waiting for Chase and the other girls to come home. He was worried that his friend would change once she lost her handicap. Chase had spent a lot of time with Crutchy in the last few months since they both almost always fell behind the others. He didn't feel like he had to try to compete or even measure up to her since they were pretty much the same speed. Crutchy, since he had more experience with a gimp leg, was actually faster than her most of the time.

"She'll be exactly the same Chase we all know and love." answered David. "If anything, this experience will have humbled her."

"Yeah," Jack added. "Chase is a sweet girl. She'll still wanna hang around you after all this."

Crutchy looked relieved. "Good! I was startin' to think I'd have to be sellin' with you again."

"Hey!" Jack gave Crutchy a little shove. He and David busted out laughing over the joke until their sides hurt.

"What's so funny?" The three boys looked up, wiping tears from their eyes. It was Chase and Spot Conlon, who had his arm around her. The king and queen of Brooklyn themselves, followed close behind by Story and Spark.

"Brace is gone. Ya look great." Jack said, standing up. Chase was beaming. Spot, on the other hand narrowed his eyes. "Hey, Brooklyn don't worry. I ain't gonna steal your girl."

Spot gave a sarcastic laugh. "I'd like to see ya try, Jacky Boy."

Chase rolled her eyes. "I thought the contention between the boroughs was over. Remember, 'We's a union now.' and all that?"

"Yeah, right..."

"Sorry..." The boys trailed off, feeling guilty that they had almost started something in front of the girls.

"Feel good to walk normal again?" asked Crutchy, not because he was jealous of her freedom, but because he wanted to see Chase's happiness.

"Yeah, isn't it w- ahhh!" Chase, going in to hug Jack, fell into the Manhattan leader's chest. Spot rushed to help her back up. He had been supporting her the whole way from Medda's. "I haven't quite gotten used to walking again." she smiled, embarrassed. Spot helped her sit down.

It had been over four months since the rally. Chase had taken a pretty bad fall off the theatre's roof that night, breaking her left leg. The healing process was long and painful (physically and emotionally) and now it was all over. The boys could tell as the days following wore on that there was a sadness and longing behind her eyes. They were all very worried about her. She often talked about her dancing and how she missed it more than anything. Today, she finally got her wish.

"I'm gonna go in for a quick game a' poker with the guys," Spot said to her. "you ok out here?"

"Yeah, but don't be too late. We need to be at the theatre by 5:00."

"Yeah, yeah," Spot kissed her on the head and went in the lodging house. Chase watched him, smiling, the whole time. It was still strange for David, Crutchy, and Jack to see Spot like this. He hadn't softened up one bit, but around Chase he was different.

"I think I'm gonna go play too." Spark looked exhausted, with dark circles under her eyes. A game of poker was just what she needed.

The newsies watched the door close behind Spark.

"Obviously everything went well." said David as he motioned for Story to sit on his lap.

"The doctor was great," Story yawned as she sat down and put her arms around David. "Same guy from the summer." she itched the scar on her cheek, remembering the event vividly.

"Did it hurt?" Jack asked Chase.

Chase shook her head. "Not at all. My leg is a little weak, muscle atrophy, you know? But that's nothing a few trips across the Brooklyn Bridge and some dancing won't fix."

"Knowing you, you could be better by next week." He gave her shoulders a squeeze.

The lodging house door opened. Half of the Manhattan boys crowded the steps now.

"That was a quick game." Story remarked.

"Guess what guys, I won again!" said an excited Spark.

"That's only 'cause we been lettin' ya win." Racetrack said casually.

"And when was the last time you let someone win your own game, Racetrack?" Chase asked, raising an eyebrow.

He ignored her comment as he sat down next to her and lit a cigar. "You look so different without the brace."

"Really?" she didn't know how. It wasn't a big physical change.

"Yeah, you're practically glowin'." That made Chase smile more.

"Oh, Chase. I'm so happy for you!" Spark couldn't say it enough. She picked up her friend and spun her around.

"Be careful with her," Spot said seriously.

Chase stared him in the eye. "I'm not a china doll, Spot."

* * *

December 3, 1899

"Come on, Chase. I just wanna spend time with ya." Spot pleaded (when asked about this event months later, he denied it. The king of Brooklyn does not plead with anyone, not even his queen).

Chase shook her head. "We spent plenty of time together last night." After her show the previous night, she and Spot sat on the fire escape outside her window and talked long past midnight. Ms. Casella had to make her come inside when it got so late. "Plus, I know you don't just want to spend time with me. You're worried about me now that I'm healed, aren't you?"

Spot stared at her for a second. "No- That is absolutely not true!"

"Well, I've been doing fine selling by myself for the past four months."

Spot evaded her eye contact. Chase still hadn't found out that he had some of his boys check up on her periodically when she was injured. Although that hadn't helped the day she and Boots were attacked.

"Do you think something is going to happen to me?"

"No I just- I don't want to take that chance."

"The princess is in danger?" Skittery said sarcastically, coming out the door. "Alert the troops. She needs protection." Story, who was sitting on the step next to David, smacked him in the leg. Skittery smirked playfully at her.

"I'm the queen actually." Chase said, crossing her arms and stepping in front of Spot, who tensed. Chase and Skittery's relationship was like this. They always had sarcastic words for each other. Spot went out of his mind trying to keep himself from soaking Skittery for all of the backhanded comments he said to Chase, but Chase never let him. She had a pretty sharp tongue too.

"Who said something about danger?" Mush said, pulling Chase in close for a hug. He just got his sister back. And he wasn't about to lose her again.

"You guys are paranoid." said Chase. Half of the boys probably had no idea what paranoid meant but they didn't have time to think because the circulation bell rang.

"Come on, Mush." Spark said linking arms with him. She could tell Chase was getting irritated.

Spot put his arm around Chase again, to help her get to the circulation gates.

"I can do it myself," she said.

"But what if you fall?" Spot didn't want to see his girl hurt again.

"I'll pick myself up and keep going."

Spot sighed. She was just as stubborn as he was. "You want the cane?"

"No, I don't want your cane." Just as she said that, she tripped over the curb.

"Come on, please let me at least help you." They locked eyes for a moment, Spot smiled at her innocently. Chase couldn't say no, he truly cared about her.

"Fine."

* * *

 **A/N: I'm going to start talking about my original ideas for this story. I can't remember 100% where this chapter was in my first draft, but I do know that it was a lot closer to the beginning. Coney Island was an afterthought so now that I think of it, this may have been the very first chapter, right before the girls' first show at Medda's. Originally Jack was the main character of this story. I wanted to explore his and Chase's friendship and to do that Chase was going to help Jack out with something extremely important to him (details to come when it won't be too much of a spoiler).**


	6. Chapter 6

Mush sat down on his favorite bench in Central park for a short rest. The day was half over and he needed a chance to breathe.

What was he going to do about Roselia? She was such a handful. Rosie wouldn't take any of the help he and the boys offered her and it really bothered him. Well, he thought, she's taken care of herself this long. He probably shouldn't be so worried, she was a strong girl.

Just as Mush thought of her, he saw Roselia standing on the corner. She crossed and entered the park, calling "Extra, extra!" the whole way. She stopped when she saw Mush.

"Hey," she said.

"Hey," Mush smiled. "You wanna sit down?"

"Sure," Rosie slipped off her newspaper bag and dropped it on the ground as she sat down. "I am so tired!"

"I can tell." Mush put his arm around her and she layed her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes.

"What have you been up to?" she asked.

Mush sighed. "Ah... Same old, same old. Sellin' papes, thinkin' about Spark, worryin' about you..."

Chase sat up straight. "You've been worrying about me?"

"'Course," Mush nodded. "You've been goin' through a lot and I always hope you're ok."

"When have I ever not been ok?"

"I-"

"Never, that's when." A small smile crept upon her lips. "I'm fine. You don't have to worry about me."

Mush nodded but he still wasn't sure.

"Question," said Rosie. "When was the last time you took Spark out?"

Mush blew out a breath. "I don't know," He thought. "It's been a while."

Rosie shook her head. "Unbelievable. And I bet it's because you been spending all of your time worrying about me."

"Well-"

"You're taking her out tonight. I'll pay for the date myself. There's a great place near Medda's, I'll give you the directions."

"You don't have to-"

"Well I'm going to whether you like it or not."

"Fine."

* * *

December 15, 1899

"Do we have a show tonight?" Spark asked Chase as the two of them stood on a street corner and sold papes.

"No, Medda is giving us the weekend off because she and Mark are visiting family in Jersey." The girls had performed at Irving Hall every weekend since Medda employed them. They actually missed selling in Brooklyn Saturday and Sunday mornings.

"Good!" Story exclaimed. "I need a break. Those dance shoes hurt!"

Chase scoffed, smirking just like Spot. "Pansy."

"Hey!" Story gave her friend a shove. "I'm a girl. I'm allowed to be a pansy."

Chase was about to respond when a teenage boy approached her. "I'd like a paper, Miss."

"Here you go, sir." She smiled politely as she handed him the paper, even calling him 'sir' when they were probably the same age. The only difference was he was rich and she was no longer.

He handed her a whole dollar. "Keep the change."

She looked up. "Are- are you sure?" The boy's eyes were dark. He reminded her of the boy who had beaten up Boots so many weeks ago, he had the unusually black hair and dark eyes. But this boy had a different face and he looked like he came from wealth.

His smile was strangely insincere. "I insist."

Chase stared at the spot where he had just been long after he walked away.

Feeling arms wrap around her, Chase let out a little scream, blushing when she saw it was Spot. The other girls smiled nervously after what just happened with the last customer.

"A little jumpy today, are ya?" Spot said raising his eyebrow. "Wasn't that the same guy that bought a paper from you on 42nd?"

Chase shoved the dollar in her boot before Spot could see. "Have you been stalking us?"

Spot blushed a little. "I missed ya, since you're all independent now."

"Get used to it." she said, but she linked arms with him. Her leg was getting tired of all this walking.

"But seriously," Spot said. "I think you sold that guy a paper earlier. Why would he buy another one?"

"I don't know, I can't remember." And she didn't want to remember.

"Maybe he lost the first one." said Story.

"Yeah, it's really windy today." Spark added, buttoning up her coat. It was mid December. The newsies were waiting for the first snow to happen. They would enjoy it for about five minutes and then they would trudge along and nearly freeze to death for the rest of the excruciatingly cold winter.

"I guess that's possible." Spot said pensively.

* * *

"It's almost Christmas." Les said, excited. All the newsies crowded into the Manhattan lodging house after selling their papes, all sharing small cups of coffee. Helena was there too. Denton had promised to take her out of school during the weekends because it was so horrible for her.

"Les," David smacked him on the back of the head.

"No, it's alright, Davey." Story said, ruffling Les's hair. "Christmas is our favorite time of year."

"Ours too." Kid Blink added.

David was surprised. He expected the newsies didn't get presents or decorations since they were so poor. Not that that was the only reason for Christmas, but David thought most of his friends weren't familiar with the Christmas story and everything else.

"The nuns are real sweet and they bring over a Christmas dinner every year. Way better than what we get on Thanksgiving." Said Racetrack.

"And Medda does a special show for us." Blink said, smiling. He loved the theatre almost as much as Chase, but he preferred to be in the audience.

"I read the little ones the Christmas story from my Bible." said Mush. Apparently David was wrong again.

"We get a Christmas tree," Boots said.

"Yeah," said Jack as he leaned against the wall next to where David and Story were sitting. "Kloppman takes us older boys out to get one."

"And Santa Clause even gets us presents! Last year I got five new marbles." All of the newsies smiled at this. It was nice to see someone so happy when they had every reason not to be.

"Mr. and Ms. Casella always make sure we each get a new dress. or at least, it's sorta new." Spark added, she had her head on Mush's chest and he was stroking her hair.

"Me and Chase and Spark usually help fix them up to look just like new." Story said, looking at Mush and Spark a little envious. She liked David and David liked her, but he wanted to take things slow. She knew he was secretly a romantic and she'd wait for him to make the first real move.

Skittery watched as David stroked Story's cheek, touching her scar: a long white mark that went from the inner corner of her right eye and curved down to her cheekbone. She got it at the rally when a police officer hit her with his baton. Skittery didn't know why David wouldn't just kiss her already. He knew if Story was his girl he would have kissed her a long time ago. Wasn't that the point of having a girl?

Skittery blinked several times. He had to stop thinking about her constantly like this. Nothing was going to happen if he just thought about her all the time. He turned to Helena, talking to her usually got his mind off of things.

"How do you spend Christmas?" he asked.

"It's not as fun as it sounds, I promise." She said. "The staff decorates the house. I'm not even allowed to touch the ornaments for the tree. Christmas Eve, my parents go to a party, at the Rockerfellers', leaving me alone with just the staff to keep me company. They're gone until Christmas morning. Santa Claus brings me gifts," Helena smiled at Boots. "And my parents throw their own party with the most boring, pompous- snooty, as you say it, people in the entire world. I've been forced to dance with all of the eligible bachelors since I turned 12."

"Oh, the hardship!" Racetrack cried melodramatically, pretending to faint. "So ya gotta stay home one night and dance with a lot of bums."

"They're worse than just 'bums', much worse." Helena shivered. She decided to tell them her Neily Vanderbilt story so they would see what she meant.

"You won't have to worry about that now that you're here." said Skittery.

"Thank goodness!" She would be away from almost everything.

* * *

Spot froze, a little feeling of panic came over him. Chase had fallen asleep on his shoulder. Probably of exhaustion. She hadn't done this much walking in a while. Usually, when she was selling in Manhattan, she would find a spot in the middle of Central Park and stay there. Mush or Spot, if he was there, would come check on her and make sure she sold all her papes. She was still very independent when she was handicapped.

But it really was close to Christmas. Only a few weeks away. And Spot hadn't thought of anything to get Chase. They didn't exchange gifts in the past (except the red suspenders Chase got him on her first Christmas as a newsie) but it was different now. They were a couple, and Spot wanted to do something for her. It had been a difficult few months.

Spot carefully got up, leaning Chase on Mush's shoulder, and crossed the room.

"Hey, Jack." he whispered.

"Hey Spot." Jack whispered back, wondering what the heck Spot was up to.

"I wanna do somethin' for Chase this Christmas." Spot glanced over his shoulder to make sure she wasn't awake.

"Ok."

"What should I do?"

Jack stared at him for a second. "I don't know, Spot. You know better than I do, what she likes."

"Not really. You're one of her best friends."

"But you're her, how does Story put it? 'Gentleman friend'." Jack teased. None of the newsies could figure out why it took so long for Spot to make a move to court Chase. It was a love story 3 years in the making.

"That doesn't mean anything." Spot was frustrated. He helps Manhattan out with the strike and Jack won't give him any ideas on what to give Chase for Christmas.

Jack could see Spot's temper rising. The last thing he needed was a brawl over Christmas presents. "Ok, I'll help ya."

"Thank you!" Spot said, a little too loudly.

Jack gestured for him to come in the hallway so they wouldn't create another disturbance.

"First thing: you gotta stop treatin' her like she's some-" Jack couldn't think of the word.

"China doll?"

"Yeah, you're smothering her. Lighten up a bit, she'll thank you."

"Ok. But that doesn't help me with her Christmas present." Spot leaned his head on the wall. He had absolutely no idea what to get her. Girls were so complicated.

"Get her something that shows you respect her."

Good idea. Spot had acquired quite the collection of weapons, especially since he became leader of all the Brooklyn newsies. She might like something like that.

"And you gotta take her out somewhere." Jack added.

"I can't afford to do that-"

"You could take her to see Medda's show- Oh, speaking of Medda, she said she had some sort of surprise for the newsies. Something about a show at her friend's theatre."

"I could take her there." Spot's mind started racing, thinking of how she would react to seeing a show. She loved the theatre after all.

"And yous could get all dressed up. She'll love that. I can tell she misses bein' in the upper class sometimes."

Spot bit his lip (a habit that he'd gotten from Chase). He knew Jack was right, she missed the upper class. Unlike Mush, she'd only been a newsie for the past 3 years. She wasn't used to being a street rat like the rest of them. She never acted like she was better than them, but that was part of the reason Spot never asked her to court him. She seemed better than him. Spot thought she wouldn't want to be with a guy like him. She already (even now that Spot was courting her) had several guys, newsies and others, after her. And besides, she was from the upper class. She shouldn't have anything to do with him now. And he knew eventually she'd make it at the White Way like she dreamed, she was a fantastic dancer and an even more beautiful singer. And Spot would fade out of her life for good. He was just a minor character; not very important to her or anyone else, for that matter.

But, Spot thought, she chose me. He had to remember that.

When Spot and Jack returned to the main room, Chase was awake. Mush was teaching her how to play poker. Spot didn't want her to get into gambling like him, it wasn't fit for a lady like her. But would she listen? No. At least she didn't smoke or drink.

"Where did you go?" She asked.

Even though she didn't like to admit it out loud, Chase liked it better when Spot was around to be with her. She didn't want people to think she was weak, she got that a lot already just by being a girl. People treated her differently after her accident and she hated that. But she just felt safer when Spot was there. That night at the rally had really shaken her up. Just recently had she been able to buy papers from the Delanceys (when she was selling in Manhattan) and look them straight in the eye.

"I just had to talk to Jack about somethin'." Spot said.

"About what?" Chase narrowed her eyes suspiciously and looked from Spot to Jack. Neither of them would look her in the eye.

"It's nothin' you need to worry your pretty head about." Jack said, winking at her.

"Oh, ok." Chase smiled.

It bothered Spot a little that Jack and Chase had a connection like this. He was pretty sure Jack would never try to steal her away from him (Jack had his own girl and he knew full well that Spot would murder him if he did try to take her from him).But Spot had a feeling Chase kept secrets from him and he wanted to know how he could get her to open up and tell him.

* * *

 **A/N: This is a really short chapter*! Honestly I just should have put it with the previous chapter but then that would mess up the flow of my chapter numbering... I'm tired of figuring out the order of these stories...**

 **(*Not anymore!)**


	7. Chapter 7

December 16, 1899

After selling all of their papers, Story, Spark, and Chase went back to the girls' lodging house in Brooklyn to teach the little girls how to read. Once they could do that, they would start selling papers. Katrina and Ellie already started selling together.

It was frustrating work. Spark and Story didn't even remember how they had learned to read. The Brooklyn boys had probably taught them. But for the most part, the sisters were on their own from a young age.

"What sound does 'A' make?"

"Ah,"

"Good," Chase said. "Do you know a word that starts with 'A'?"

The three older girls sat up at a knock at the door.

"Who is it?"

"Who do ya think, Sweetness?" Spot said as he opened the door. He was followed by Mush and Racetrack, who was shaking his head.

"Yous two gotta stop with all this lovey dovey talk."

"You wanna leave?" Spot glared at him.

"Nah, I'm ok." Racetrack said. "Hi'ya ladies. We's goin' to Sheepshead, any a yous wanna join us?"

"Are you askin' me if you want me to beat your sorry butt again? I accept." Spark hopped off the bed and messed Racetrack's hair. She then stood on her tiptoes and kissed Mush.

"I think we're gonna go to Manhattan to play poker afterwards." Spot said to Chase.

"Ok," she said. "We'll be over there later."

"You sure?"

"Yes, Sugar. I can walk on my own now."

The others rolled their eyes.

"We're gonna be late." said Racetrack, pushing Spark, Mush, and Spot out the door. "Bye, girls!"

* * *

About an hour later, there was another knock at the door.

"What is it, Sweetheart?" Chase practically snapped. She wasn't getting anywhere.

"Sweetheart?" It was Jack. "I didn't know we were that close. Shouldn't we go on a date or somethin' first?"

"Oh, I thought you were Spot." Chase blushed.

"I know." he smiled.

"What brings you to our humble lodging house?" Story giggled.

"I came to bring yous somethin'." Jack handed Chase a stack of lined paper that was tied with newspaper string. "Davey thought it would help you teach these girls how to write."

"Aww, tell him thanks for me." Chase said.

"I don't get a "thanks" for walkin' it all the way over for ya?"

Chase scoffed. "Not after using that tone."

Jack smiled at her. She was just as good at arguing and smart-mouthing as he was. They really were similar. If he didn't know any better, Jack would have thought she was a long lost sister of his. But Jack didn't have any other siblings. His mother passed away right after his father was arrested.

"Oh, Story, Davey says he misses ya." Jack reported.

"Tell him I'll be at the lodging house later." A dreamy smile played on her lips.

"Ok. I'll be sure to tell him." Jack was happy his friend found a girl too. He didn't know how David would react when he found out about Jack and Sarah together. Thankfully, he wasn't that upset. It was a bit odd to have his best friend and his sister together but it didn't ruin their friendship. Jack wanted the same happiness for David. And Story was a nice girl.

"Maybe yous should take a break." Jack suggested. "I'm goin' back to Manhattan. Yous wanna come with me?"

"I can't stop now, we're so close to making a breakthrough!" Chase yawned as she said it.

"I'll drag her out later." said Story.

"Alright then, yous girls be safe out there. Don't leave too late."

"We walk to Manhattan at night all the time." Chase said. "We'll make it there alive."

"Promise?"

"Yeah."

* * *

Chase and Story were on their way back to Manhattan in less than a half hour.

"So has David, you know, kissed you yet?" Chase asked.

"No," said Story. "He's taking it slow. I wouldn't have it any other way."

"Is this because you haven't had your first kiss yet?"

Story blushed. "Maybe."

"Well it's really not that great." Chase cringed. Her first kiss was with Oscar Delancey, completely against her will, right after she had plummeted 15 feet to the ground off of Irving Hall's roof, breaking her leg. It was awful.

"You can't tell me it's not that great. You and Spot kiss all the time and Spark and Mush, they can barely keep to themselves."

Chase laughed, it was true, and then she stopped. There was a sound. The sound of footsteps nearby. She got a chill, remembering a similar situation about month before.

"Do you hear that?" she whispered.

Story's eyes widened as she nodded. They looked behind them, but the street lamps were too dim to light the whole street.

"Maybe it's nothing. A police officer or something?" But as Chase said that, the footsteps sped up.

"Let's walk faster." said Story.

Chase had to break into a little jog to keep up with Story. As they approached the end of the street, the person began to run. They were getting closer.

"Let's go!"

The two girls sprinted down the street. Aware that the person was still following them and getting faster. Chase hoped they were going in the right direction to the Manhattan lodging house. Story grabbed her hand as she went to make the wrong turn.

"Thanks," They turned the corner and saw the lodging house in the distance.

The two girls slammed into a group of people, knocking them to the ground.

"Hey, watch it you lousy- Oh, hey Chase." it was Racetrack. The girls had bumped into Race, Spot, Spark, and Mush as they were returning from the Sheepshead races.

"What were yous guys doin'?" Spot asked as he attempted to get out from underneath Story.

"Um," Chase bit her lip, she didn't want Spot to get any more protective than he already was.

"We were having a race." Story chimed in.

"Um, yeah. I thought it would be a good idea to see how fast I can run now that the brace is gone." Chase smiled nervously, hoping Spot would believe the lie.

"Is that a good idea? I don't want either a' yous to get hurt again." Mush said as he helped his sister up.

"Well I have to start sometime." Chase laughed nervously as the boys stared at her.

The other boys were ready to accept this answer but Spot looked at her skeptically. There was something she wasn't telling him.

"What's goin' on, Chase?" He didn't bother thinking up a nickname.

Chase's eyes widened as her knees gave out and she fell against Racetrack. "Nothing- nothing's wrong."

He hadn't seen her this shaken in a long time. "Was it the Delanceys?" He took out his cane and looked down the street. Spot had been restraining himself from killing Oscar Delancey every time he saw him. But he was still waiting for him to slip up. Then he could murder him and drop his body off in the bay. Spot had an extremely dark side to him.

Chase shuddered at the mention of their name but she looked up and touched Spot's face. "It wasn't them. I promise."

"You'd tell me if it was, right?"

"Yes."

* * *

Chase stayed by Spot's side the whole night while she tried to forget about what had just happened. It was difficult since her mind seemed to want to picture what could have happened in the most graphic ways. It was all she could do not to burst into tears. She sat at the poker table between Spot and Jack, not really invested in the game at all.

"Hey, Chase." Jack said. "Chase."

"Hmmmm... What?" She blinked back into reality.

"It's your turn to bid."

"Oh, um..." she glanced over her cards, suddenly forgetting how to play.

"Are you ok?" Jack asked, very concerned.

"Yeah,"

Spot and Jack glanced at each other.

"No you're not." Said Mush from across the table.

Chase sighed. "Ok, I think I have a headache." Which was true.

"Then lay down, why don't ya?" Racetrack said. "Women. You'd think they would figure it out."

"You wanna say that again?" Spot stood up, challenging him.

"Hey, yous two keep it together. Chase doesn't need this." Jack he turned to her. "You probably should go lie down though. Wanna go upstairs where it's quiet?"

Chase looked at Spot. She could see that he was deep in thought, trying to figure her out. She didn't want to leave him. "I'll stay down here." She tried to give both Spot and Jack a reassuring smile.

"Hey, Skittery!" Jack called. "You know the drill!"

Skittery bit back a curse, he wasn't in the mood for a physical fight with Jack. "Yeah," And he got up off the couch to allow Chase to rest. Again.

"Thank you," she said, but he ignored her gratitude.

There was a knock at the door. Helena was just in time, thank goodness. He answered the door.

"Hey,"

"Hi, Skittery."

"Wanna come inside?"

"Do you really think I'd rather stay out here in the cold?"

"Probably not." Skittery laughed.

Helena hung her coat on the last empty hook next to the door and she followed Skittery into the front room. She looked at the couch, which was occupied by a sleeping Chase.

"I'll go get some chairs." Skittery said as he made his way to the other room.

"Hey, Helena," said Racetrack, barely looking up from his cards.

"Hi, Race.

Helena got a few more 'Hey's from the other newsies as she stood there waiting. Skittery was taking a long time with those chairs.

Helena turned her attention back to Chase. The newsgirl was sleeping restlessly, tossing and turning, and then she began to whimper. She rushed to Chase's side. No one else could hear because it was so loud in the room. Helena stroked Chase's hair as her mother did when she was younger and prone to nightmares. She hummed a cheery tune, hoping this would calm the poor girl.

"Helena?"

Helena looked up.

"You wanna sit?" Skittery set two chairs on the floor. "What's goin' on?"

Helena stood up slowly and sat in her chair. "Something is wrong with Chase."

Skittery raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean? She looks fine." He could care less how she looked.

"I don't know," Helena played with her hair as she thought. "I think she was having a nightmare."

Skittery looked at Chase. She seemed calm enough now. "Happens all the time."

"It does?"

"Oh yeah," Skittery ran a hand through his hair. "Lots of us street kids seen some pretty disturbin' stuff. You dream about it at night."

Rarely a night went by when half of the boys weren't woken up by someone's cries in the night. It was a little strange that Chase was having dreams when she'd only been out on the streets for three years. Skittery figured it was from living in Brooklyn, which had a reputation for being dangerous.

* * *

"Rosie, hey, Rosie." Mush nudged his sister, about an hour later, to wake her up. "Spot said it's time for yous to go soon."

"Ah!" She woke with a jolt and a small scream.

Mush took a step back, startled himself. "Hey, you alright?"

She nodded her head but Mush could see in her eyes that it wasn't the truth.

"No you're not." He took her hand. "Wanna tell me what's a' matter?"

Roselia glanced around to make sure no one was watching.

"I um... You know how Story said we were racing earlier?"

Mush nodded.

"That's not exactly true."

He stared at her for a second, his face blank. "What do you mean 'that's not exactly true'?"

She lowered her voice. "We think we were being followed."

Rosie could see every muscle in Mush's body tense.

"I-"

"Shhh," he had never cut her off like that before. Her eyes filled with tears. "Why were the two a's yous out so late and alone?"

"W-we promised we would come." She was still afraid of what could have been out there. Her dreams in her short time sleeping were horrible. Chase hoped it wasn't true, but she'd read stories of things happening to girls in the papers. She didn't want to be one of them.

"I don't like this."

"And you think I do?"

Mush looked at his sister, trying not to surrender to the smile that was spreading on his face. It was just like her to say something like that. Actually, it was just like him too.

"What are you smiling at? This is serious!"

"Nothin' you're just cute." He kissed her on the forehead. "I'm gonna talk to Spot."

"No! He'll kill me if he finds out I didn't tell him!" He probably wouldn't, but Chase didn't want to ruin their relationship before it got started.

Mush raised an eyebrow. "You're worried about what Spot thinks when your safety is on the line?"

Her eyes said it all.

"Unbelievable. You need to get your priorities straight. I care about you and Spot cares about you and pretty much everyone else here cares about you."

"Except Skittery." She added.

"You know, I don't think Skittery even cares about himself."

The two of the laughed for a minute, until they teared up. "Hey, how about this: I'll tell Spot that I heard somethin' on our way back from the races and that I'm worried about yous. I'll keep your cover as long as you promise to listen to us."

Roselia hugged him. "Thank you."


	8. Chapter 8

December 24, 1899

All the newsies gathered at Irving Hall for Christmas Eve. Since the strike, the boroughs had become closer. Alliances were formed. Jack could trust Spot and Spot could trust Jack. Actually, Spot wasn't about to trust Jack until Chase put in her opinion. Other boroughs had taken Manhattan and Brooklyn's example, it had been a peaceful couple of months in the newsies' world and there had been much excitement about going into a new century. It was going to be a great year.

Medda motioned Chase to come up on stage.

"Ready, Chase?" She asked.

"Yeah!" Chase answered enthusiastically.

Medda spoke with her Swedish accent. "And now, the lovely Chase Meyers will grace us with a song."

"What do you want me to play?" David asked.

"Surprise me." Chase winked.

"Ok..." David though for a second. "Got it!"

As soon as David began to play the intro Chase smiled, she knew this song by heart. Spot had taught it to her. Some of the newsies in the crowd knew it too, from their excited chatter.

"I think most of you know this song, so join in and sing with me!"

 **Down in front of Medda's Old brown wooden stoop, On a summer's evening, We formed a merry group; Boys and girls together, We would sing and waltz, David and Story played the organ On the Sidewalks of New York.**

Chase changed some of the lyrics for her friends. This song reminded them a lot of their victory in the strike, which brought back memories both good and bad.

 **East side, west side, All around the town, Les sang "Ring-a-Rosie," Brooklyn Bridge ain't Falling Down. Mush and Spark together, Me and the King of New York, Tripped the light fantastic, On the sidewalks of New York.**

Spot jumped up on the stage and pulled Chase into a dance position. Chase was overjoyed that she was back to dancing again. Spot spun her faster and faster until they were just a blur on the stage. The two of them laughed until it was time to sing again.

 **Things have changed since those times, Some are up in "G," Others, they are wand'rers, But they all feel just like me; They'd part with all they've got, Could they but once more waltz, With their best girl and have a twirl On the Sidewalks of New York. East side, west side, All around the town, Boots sang "Ring-a-Rosie," Brooklyn Bridge ain't Falling Down." Jack and Sarah together, Me and the King of New York, Tripped the light fantastic, On the sidewalks of New York.**

The song ended. Half of the audience, plus Chase, Spot, and David were out of breath from the singing and dancing (and piano playing). There was a smile on every face.

"You were great!" Helena said to Chase.

"I think-" Skittery started.

"Save it." Chase actually had to hold Spot back that time.

Spot had to walk away, Something was bound to set him off. And then Chase would be mad at him. That wouldn't be a good ending to their otherwise perfect Christmas Eve. "I'm gonna go get some water."

"Ok," Chase was about to start the conversation back up when Story and David began to play a duet that he had taught her.

"I love this song!" Chase gushed. She walked away from Helena and Skittery to see if anyone wanted to dance. Clearly, Spot wasn't in the mood so she figured she'd find someone else.

Chase carefully maneuvered her way through the pairs of dancers. There were a lot of couples on the dance floor and she didn't want to trip. Her walk was still uneasy. As she came to the edge of the floor, she tripped, letting out a little scream. Someone caught her arm before she impacted the ground.

"Careful," It was a deep, cool-sounding, male voice she didn't recognize.

Chase looked the boy over as he helped her up. He was tall and muscular, intimidatingly so. He had jet-black hair and his hat partially obscured his face. She couldn't really see his eyes.

"Thank you," Chase tried to pull away but the boy wouldn't let go of her wrist.

"You wanna dance?" His voice was almost monotone, which was unsettling. It was like he was half dead.

"No, thank you."

"Are you sure?" He gave a very small smirk, pulling her closer.

"I- I can't." Chase stammered, hoping she could figure her way out of this.

"'Course you do."

"No, I don't want to!" Chase asserted. But he tightened his grip and started to drag her to the dance floor.

Chase began to panic. She had danced with guys like this before, when she went to school. He wasn't going to take no for an answer. No matter what Chase could do, he would be able to overpower her. There would be no escape until the song ended, and even then, he might still try to keep her.

"Chase," Chase and the boy spun around at the same time, coming face to face Spot.

Chase exhaled with relief.

"It's time to go home." Spot said firmly, narrowing his eyes at the newsie who held Chase captive. "Now."

The boy wasn't ready to let go yet, but Chase managed to slip out of his grip when he had unintentionally loosened his hold on her. She linked arms with Spot."

"Goodbye," The boy had the audacity to say.

Chase tensed with anger. Spot glared at the newsie one last time, memorizing his face in case he ever saw him again, and he led Chase toward the door.

"Do you know that guy?" Spot asked when they were out of the boy's earshot.

"No,"

Spot turned his eyes toward her. He could tell she was telling the truth by the way she wouldn't look at him. Who was that guy?

* * *

December 25, 1899

The next morning, the girls woke up to presents under the Christmas tree. Chase loved to watch the younger girls' joy as they opened their presents, despite how small they were, before starting on hers.

Spark played some Christmas carols on the old hand-me-down piano while Chase led the singalong. Then, Story read the Christmas story for all the young ones to hear. By 2:00 in the afternoon, every one of the Brooklyn girls had fallen asleep amidst the paper and ribbons strewn about the floor.

Spot had to smile when Ms. Casella let him into the girls lodging house. The parlor floor was occupied by 100 sleeping girls. Chase, Spark, and Story were leaning against each other by the piano. Each of them snoring softly (and quite ladylike). He hated to have to wake them.

"Wake up, Sleepin' Beauties." He whispered, gently nudging Chase's shoulder.

She hummed softly and turned, burying her head in Story's shoulder.

"Come on, Chase. When you gotta get up, you gotta get up."

"You're mad." She said in her sleep.

Spot rolled his eyes. "I ain't mad, I'm Spot Conlon."

Chase's eyes fluttered open and she cocked her head. "Spot!" She practically jumped into his arms, planting a quick kiss on his lips. "Merry Christmas!"

"Merry Christmas," Spot laughed.

The other two girls were startled awake.

"Ya know, Spot, a gentleman woulda let the ladies sleep." Said Spark.

Spot scoffed as he helped Spark and Story up. "I ain't a gentleman, and I've known you forever, you ain't a lady."

Spark stuck her tongue out at him.

He turned glance over to the couch. Ms. Casella was on her husband's lap and they were reading together. He had explained his plan to them a couple of weeks ago. Spot would take Chase to Manhattan and give her his Christmas present. Then, they would meet all the rest of the Brooklyn and Manhattan newsies at the lodging house for the surprise. And they'd finish the night with a perfect dinner with the girls.

"Hey, Chase," Spot said. "Why don't you go get prettied up. I wanna go to Manhattan-" he blinked when he heard her echo the last part. "What?"

"I, um... left my stuff at Medda's. Could we go get ready there?" Chase looked up at him, still held in his strong embrace.

"Uh, yeah."

Chase suppressed a sigh of relief. She had been hoping to get Spot to Manhattan, her present for him was there. And it wasn't like she could take it with her. Spot was tough to find a present for. She wanted it to mean something to him, which was difficult for a guy like him. The little things pleased him though, so Chase was sure he would like his gift.

"We'll meet yous there." Story said as the couple made their way to the door.

"For what?" Chase asked.

"You'll just have to be patient." Spot winked.

The two of them rushed to Medda's. They were both so eager to give each other their presents. A maid let them in the door. Medda and Mark were probably upstairs getting ready for the night.

Chase started up the steps and then stopped, suddenly aware that Spot wasn't behind her.

"Are you coming?"

"What do you mean, am I coming?" Spot raised an eyebrow.

"Like I would do something like that. Nick would kill me!" She ranted. "Just come upstairs you bum."

Spot followed, allowing Chase to lead him by the wrist, but he was still confused. She took him down a hallway he hadn't ever needed to go down. They stopped in front of a closed door.

"Ok," she started. "I'm going to give you my present first. I know it's not much, but I talked to the other boys and I think you'll like it." She slowly pushed the door open.

"Of course I'll-" Spot caught his breath at what he saw.

It was a bathroom, clean and white. He took a step inside. It was definitely the nicest bathroom he had ever been in. In the center of the room was a porcelain bathtub filled to the top with water so hot, Spot could see steam rising in the air.

"It's mine- well, it's mine when I stay here. Medda said you can come over whenever you want and use it.

Spot stood there, still speechless. There was no way she could ever know how much this meant to him. He had never gotten a warm bath before. Ever.

He pulled her into a tight hug. "Thank you, Roselia." Using her given name.

"I'm happy you like it." There were tears in her eyes. She was touched by his gratitude for something that was so small to her.

Spot started pulling off his suspenders.

"Oh- I better go." She closed the door behind her. She didn't want to leave him, so she sat against the wall in the hallway.

"Chase, you still there?" Spot asked through the door.

"Yes..." Chase smiled.

"I knew it."

Chase spent the next few hours in the hall talking to Spot as he savored every moment in the tub. She sang to him through the door and she even read a few chapters from the battered copy of "Les Miserables" that had been going back and forth between boroughs.

David and Story had introduced it to their friends because it reminded them of the strike. Spot, who hated reading and books, tried not to listen as they read to the newsies at the Manhattan lodging house. But eventually, the poker games slowed so the boys could listen and Spot didn't have a choice. And he would never admit it, but Spot got really into the story. Especially the romance between Cosette and Marius. He had a hard time not discussing it in length with Mush, who everyone knew was a romantic.

"What time is it?" Spot asked.

"5:30."

"Why don't you go get ready?"

"For what? Dinner isn't until 8."

"Could you just listen to me for once?" She was being so difficult.

"For once? I listen you all the-" she paused. That wasn't exactly true. Both Chase and Spot played by their own rules. "Fine. I'll go get ready."

Chase made her way back down the hall to the room she, Story, and Spark shared when they performed at Medda's shows. She pulled out the dress she got from the Casellas. It was the nicest dress she had gotten in a long time. It was lilac, which went perfect with her pale green eyes, and it cinched at just the right spot on her waist with a black ribbon. Chase also had her nicest white stockings and a pair of black boots to go with it.

The problem was her hair. Chase usually left it down, the ends reached the middle of her back. She was going to use the pink ribbons Spot had given her for her birthday but they just didn't look right with the shade of lilac she was wearing.

"Need some help, honey?" Medda was standing in the doorway in her flashy purple gown.

"Yes," Chase sighed. "I can't get my hair right.

"Well then let's see what we can do now." Medda motioned for Chase to sit down I front of the small vanity. Medda rummaged through the closet Chase and the other girls shared from time-to-time. Chase raised an eyebrow. What would she find for her hair in the closet? Medda came out a few minutes later and produced a small package tied with a purple ribbon.

"What's this?" Chase asked, eyeing the package.

"Your Christmas present."

"Oh, Medda you didn't have to-"

"Never turn down something you can get for free. Open it up!"

Chase carefully untied the ribbon and lifted the lid. Inside were hairpins. There were white pearl flowers with amethyst centers that sparkled in the light. They were absolutely gorgeous. She hugged Medda.

"Thank you. Thank you so much!"

"You deserve it, dearie. You've been a hard worker at my theatre and you've brought in such good business. This is my "thank you" to you."

Medda took the pins and assessed Chase's hair in the mirror. "I know exactly what we can do."

She pinned the front of Chase's hair back with a little twist, letting the curls cascade down her back. "Perfect. Ready to see your man?"

* * *

When Spot was ready, he went downstairs to wait for Chase in the foyer. Mark, Medda's husband was down there waiting too.

"This could be a while," Mark said. So they talked about baseball and the headlines (the things most important to them) eagerly glancing at the clock every few minutes.

Spot looked up when he heard a sound at the top of the steps. She was ready.

Spot stood there speechless as he gazed up at Chase. She was stunning. The way she looked now, no one would be able to tell that she was a poor newsie. She looked like a proper, wealthy young woman. A princess. Like she was the day Spot saved her.

Chase descended the stairs smiling her pretty smile. "What do you think?"

"What do I think? You're beautiful, that's what I think." He took Chase's hand and twirled her to get the full picture.

"I'm sorry I'm not wearing your ribbons." Chase said.

"Nah, ya don't need em." Spot stepped back so she could see his full ensemble. "What about me? How do I look?"

Chase looked him up and down.

Spot was dressed in a clean white shirt and black pants (a Christmas present from the nuns) and his signature red suspenders. The same ones Chase had given him 3 Christmases ago.

"You clean up nice Mr. Spot Conlon."

"I know." He said with a smug smile.

* * *

 **A/N: So the song in this chapter is "The Sidewalks of New York". I was so happy to find this one. I like to keep my stories mostly historically accurate so I don't like to write about songs that didn't exist during the time period. "The Sidewalks of New York" was written around 1894. It has become one of my favorite old-timey songs. If you listen to it you'll probably recognize the tune, it's played a lot on carousels.**

 **Also, Spot finally got his porcelain tub with boiling water!**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: I was going through my old drafts of "The Turn" when I found a few lines from this scene which I had forgotten. They don't make a huge difference to the story but I really liked some of the lines so I added them in.**

* * *

Helena was not looking forward to her parents' arrival. Sure, she missed them but it had only been a little over a month since she came to the city herself. And she was almost certain they (her mother especially) wouldn't be happy her friends were mostly newsies.

Helena looked her reflection in the mirror straight in the eye. She was going to make the best off this. Her mother couldn't tell her who to like and dislike. It was her choice. Just like her decision to become a journalist against their will, they'd eventually have to deal with it.

But she was still nervous. She readied herself in the room her uncle had set aside for her use when she was with him. Helena flinched at every sound, anticipating the doorbells would ring. Until it did.

Helena didn't rise from her seat to see her parents. She waited for a maid to come up and get her so she could have a few seconds to collect herself. She even took a moment at the top of the steps until she couldn't wait any longer.

"Mother!" She ran to hug her.

"My Helena! You've grown up so much!"

"It hasn't been that long."

"I know, I know." Said her mother. "Go hug your father."

Helena obeyed. "Papa."

"Helena, dear," he said. "How is your new school?"

"Yes, we want to know all about it!"

Helena went to open her mouth but someone else spoke first.

"You'll have to tell them in the car." Denton descended the stairs. "We're going to be late."

"Late for what? We've been in the carriage all morning." Her mother huffed.

"We have an invitation for the evening."

"Oooh, who is it from?" Helena's mother perked up. "The Rockerfellers? Or is it from someone in the newspaper business, the Pulitzers? The Hearsts?"

Helena and Denton glanced at each other.

"Well they are in the newspaper business." said Denton. "I think you'll be surprised."

"Where are we?" Helena's mother demanded when they arrived in front of the Manhattan lodging house.

"We're here to meet my friends, mother." Helena braced herself for her mother's disapproval.

"But they're- they're newsboys!"

"They prefer to be called newsies."

A look of panic and anger crossed her mother's face. Helena tried not to smile at her mother's discomfort. She liked to stay as far away from the lower class as possible. But that just wasn't Helena's style.

"You wanted her to meet gentlemen in the city, dear." Helena's father chuckled.

Helena hopped out of the car without an escort. Another habit that her mother was hoping the boarding school would help her overcome. It just wasn't proper for a lady to do that.

Skittery saw Helena and Denton exit the car, followed by two people didn't recognize. Her parents, perhaps.

"Merry Christmas, Helena." His smile faded a little when he could sense tension in the air. But Helena still smiled back.

"Why don't you introduce us, Helena?" The man said.

"Ok, " she relaxed slightly. "Mother, father, this is Skittery. He's one of my best friends."

"Nice to meet you- Skittery, did you say?" Her father held out his hand.

"Yes sir," Skittery said, trying to hide his blush. He didn't realize he was one of Helena's best friends. "But my real name is Henry."

"And you're a newsboy like all the others?" Helena's mother asked casually.

"Yes, ma'am, except some of the others are newsgirls." He said politely, but he and Helena still laughed at his little, almost unintentional joke. Helena's mother didn't look so amused. "Pardon me."

"Are all of you here orphans?" Her father surveyed the whole group of newsies. There were very few adults around.

"Father!" Helena said, clearly embarrassed. "I'm sorry."

"It's ok." Skittery reassured her. "I'm an orphan. My parents died in a train accident when I was young-"

"Oh, you poor dear." Helena's mother was actually sincere.

"I got over it after a while." Skittery smiled sadly."Most of the newsies are orphans. Like Story over there," he pointed her out. "The only family she has is her sister, Spark. But some of us, like Davey, he had to quit school to support his family. And Jack has a father but we don't know much about him."

"Alright, everybody gather on the steps." Denton brought his camera to the Manhattan lodging house to document the night properly. Since the strike people wanted to hear more about the lives of the famous newsies of New York. "If you're short, get in the front. That means you, Racetrack."

Skittery made his way to the top step, being one of the taller newsies. As he sat down for the pose, someone fell onto his lap. It was Helena.

"Oh, pardon me." She giggled, embarrassed.

"It's OK." He always felt so awkward around her.

"Helena, you're supposed to sit next to Skittery, not ON him." Denton said.

She quickly got off of his lap as the rest of the newsies laughed.

Denton took pictures until the boys (and girls) got antsy. They took some time to disperse and exchange gifts, at least the ones who could afford them did.

Mush had scoured the whole city to find a pair of blue dice to give to Spark. He also made her a dozen roses out of old newspaper. He even took the time to paint the petals red.

David bought Story a journal with her name stamped on the cover in gold and a pen to go with it.

Jack made Sarah a bracelet out of rope and a bandana.

Then it came time for Spot to give Chase his present. He hoped she would like it, especially considering the effort she put in for his present.

"Ready for your gift?" He asked her.

She nodded excitedly.

"Alright, here you go." He took her small package out of his pocket. It was wrapped in newspaper and tied with a pink ribbon, similar to the ones he gave her for her birthday.

Spot watched eagerly as she unwrapped the gift. He jumped back as Chase gave a scream of delight.

"Do ya like it?"

"I love it!" Hugged him, nearly bringing them both down to the pavement.

Spot took Jack's advice about getting Chase a present to show his respect. Her gift was a folding knife Spot had collected some time ago. On one side of the handle was "Chase" etched in neat letters. On the other was a rose that Spot had painstakingly carved over the weeks leading up to Christmas.

"You should keep that close. Your boot's a good place." Spot said. "Just in case you need it."

"Thank you." She kissed him. "This is the best present I've ever gotten."

"Well, Christmas ain't over yet, Chase." Jack came behind her and blindfolded her with his red bandana. He nodded at Spot. This was all part of their plan.

"What are you doing?" She blindly reached her arms out to find Spot.

"You'll see." Chase could tell he was smiling mischievously even with the blindfold on. "Hey, I got your arm."

"And I got your other side." Mush took her other arm.

"Need an escort?" Skittery asked Helena. In the midst of this big group she felt lost.

"Thank you," she said, then she lowered her voice. "Where are we going?"

"Don't you want to be surprised?"

"I'm not one for surprises. I like to know what's going on." She confessed.

"Me too." said Skittery. "But I think Jack or Spot will murder me if I reveal the surprise too early. Think you can wait?"

"I suppose…" Helena smiled.

The whole group walked down the street, attracting lots of attention since there were so many of them, not to mention the fact that in the middle of the group was a young woman who was blindfolded. The boys made conversation with Chase. They avoided all questions in regard to where they were going.

"Am I the only one blindfolded?" She asked.

"Yeah," Jack answered.

"Why?"

"Because it's a surprise!"

"Am I going to like it, Sarah?"

"You'll love it." Sarah and Jack shared a smile.

* * *

 **A/N: Can you guess what the surprise is? Also, I realized recently that I write a lot of girl characters who have bad/tenuous relationships with their mothers. I find this odd because my mom is one of my best friends...**

* * *

"How much farther?" Chase complained.

"Ya want me to carry you?" Spot asked.

"No!"

"Then stop your whining!" They argued like an old married couple.

"I swear, Spot Conlon, when this blindfold comes off I'm going to-"

"Shhh, we're here."

Spot let go of Chase's arm.

"Spot?" She said. "Where did you go?"

Everyone stayed silent.

"Hello?"

Spot made eye contact with Jack again, who removed Chase's blindfold.

Chase was stunned at what she saw. Not even the flash from Denton's camera, capturing her reaction, brought her out of it. She brought her hands to her face as she stared upward, smiling. She was standing in front of a theatre - and not just any theatre - this one played motion pictures.

"I can't-" she couldn't find words to say. "I never thought-"

Spot put his arm around her as Denton snapped another picture.

"You better believe it." He whispered.

Chase's stunned silence turned into giddy excitement when they entered the theatre.

"We're really seeing a picture show!"

"Yeah, Chase." Spot led her to the perfect seats in the middle of the front row. Her brother sat down on her other side.

"This is so exciting!"

"We know, Rosie." Mush said with a little laugh.

Medda passed around candy. The entire theatre was filled with newsies. Medda had gotten the owner to let her rent out the theatre for the night as a gift to the newsies, especially Chase.

Chase was practically bouncing in her seat. "I've always wanted to-"

"You know, Chase, I kinda wanted to hear the music." Skittery, who was seated behind her, gestured to the corner of the room where there was a player piano.

Spot whipped around.

"One a' these days I'm gonna-"

The lights dimmed and Chase grabbed Spot's arm giggling.

They saw several short films, all different genres. Chase's eyes were practically glued to the screen. She held both Mush's and Spot's hands the entire time.

The theatre owner came out to announce the last movie.

"This last film comes to us all the way from France. It's a familiar story that I think you'll all know." he said. "Playing for the first time in the United States, I give you: _Cendrillon_."

"Cinderella," Chase whispered.

Mush couldn't help but smile at his sister. Cinderella was always one of her favorite stories.

The movie was truly fantastic. None of the newsies had ever seen anything like it before in their lives. The fairy godmother appeared like magic. The whole audience was on the edge of their seats through the whole thing.

When the lights came up, Spot saw that Chase was crying.

"What's a' matter?" He put his arm around her waist and pulled her close.

"That was-" She sniffed. "That was beautiful."

"You're beautiful." Said Spot.

Chase punched him in the arm, wiping away a tear. "You've been hanging around Nicholas too much."

The newsies gathered outside the theatre, most of them still discussing the movies.

"Me and Les better get back home for Christmas dinner." Said David to Story.

"Oh, ok." She frowned a little. "Goodnight."

Skittery watched from afar, hoping she would turn her attention to him with Davey gone.

"You're gonna come with us, right?" David smiled.

Her smile returned. Skittery sighed and walked away. "Are you sure there's gonna be enough to go around?"

"Of course there will be."

Story turned to Chase and Spot, wondering what they would think.

"Just don't be out too late," Chase said.

"Hey, I can bring her back to Brooklyn later," said Jack. "I'm goin' too."

"Thanks, Jackie-boy." Chase kissed him on the cheek. "Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas."

* * *

You look... tense." Helena remarked when Skittery returned to her side.

He sighed. "Says the girl whose been on edge all night."

"I have not been-"

Skittery raised an eyebrow.

"Fine!" She surrendered. "I'm a mess."

"And why is that?" As far as Skittery was concerned, they had a good night.

"My parents. They're so ignorant. I can't believe some of the things they've said tonight." She couldn't even look at him.

"They're not that bad. They just don't know."

"I wish they would."

"Not all rich people can be like you." Skittery smiled.

A light snow was beginning to fall. The newsies returned to the lodging house with a feast waiting for them. Mrs. Casella and the nuns had done a fantastic job. There was enough for everyone's stomach to be filled.

After dinner, Spark and Chase took turns at the piano (since David was gone) and they all sang Christmas carols until the little ones started to fall asleep.

* * *

Jack and Story had a wonderful time at the Jacobs' home. Dinner was perfect (Mrs. Jacobs was a great cook) and they had extra time to spend with David and Sarah. They ended the night as David hugged Story and Jack kissed Sarah. Something was still bothering Story.

"Um, Jack?" Story asked.

"Yeah?"

"Does Davey ever talk about me?"

"Are you kiddin'?" Jack turned to her with disbelief. "All the time, you're always on his mind." He saw her somewhat disappointed expression. "What's goin' on, Story?"

"I don't know... I just..." It took her a while to put the words together. "Sometimes I feel like I'm just his friend and I wanna be more than that. You and Sarah have this connection. Everyone can see it. But I don't know if I have that with David."

"Story," He stopped, putting both hands on her shoulders and looking her straight in the eye. "David loves ya. After all yous been through with the strike and you still don't see that?"

"I guess I'm just a little... Insecure." she blushed.

"Don't know what for. You and Davey, you're both the same."

Story scoffed. "Nah-uh!"

You're crazy for him, right?"

"Yes,"

"Well he's crazy for you! You're both madly in love with each other and neither of yous wants to come out and say it!"

"How do-"

"Shhhh!"Jack heard footsteps. But he and Story were the only two people on the street. Abruptly, the footsteps stopped.

Maybe I'm just being paranoid. Jack thought.

Story watched as Jack's eyes darted from one side to the other side of the street. She didn't dare to make a sound. Something wasn't right.

They continued walking in silence for a few feet. Then, the footsteps began again, only faster.

Jack stopped and pushed Story behind him, she tripped in the process.

"I can hear you!" Jack called into the darkness. "Come out and show your face, you coward!"

He waited. Nothing. He offered Story his arm. She clutched it tightly. Every so often, she would shiver even though she was wearing a warm enough coat.

"Come on, we're goin'." Jack grabbed Story's wrist and broke into a fast walk. He had to get her home. Story practically had to run to keep up with him.

Neither of them said a word until they were on the steps of the Brooklyn girls' lodging house.

"Wh-what was that?" Story whispered frantically.

"I don't know." Jack said. "But I'm gonna find out."

"Don't tell me you're goin' out there."

Jack looked back out into the street. "I'm not gonna do that." Not this minute, he thought.

Story accepted his answer. "'Night." She hugged him tightly. "Thanks for walkin' me home."

"'Night, Story."

"Be safe."

"Alright, alright. I won't do anything crazy."

"Ok. I don't want to be the one to break the tragic news to Sarah." She punched him in the arm, color finally returning to her face.

Jack waited for her to get inside before turning down the street in the direction of the Brooklyn boys' lodging house. He had to talk to Spot.

It was well past midnight when he got there. A light was on upstairs but it appeared that most of the boys had gone to sleep for the night. Jack went around the side of the building and climbed the fire escape up to the window of the boys' room.

Jack forced open the window and climbed in.

"Wha'da ya want, Cowboy?" A few of the Brooklyn newsies came forward, crossing their arms and trying to intimidate him.

"I need to talk to Spot."

The entire room went silent. Jack rolled his eyes. The Brooklyn boys were tough but they were all scared to death of Spot Conlon.

Jack went to the end of the line of beds to find Spot passed out, his cane still in his belt loop, on his bed.

"Wake up, Spot."

Spot actually growled.

"Come on, Spot."

"Whoever you are I'm gonna kill you!" He fumbled around for his cane.

"Spot, this is an emergency."

Spot sat up in bed, "Cowboy?" he squinted. "What's goin' on?"

"We have to have a meeting."

"And you're comin' to me at this hour?"

"Yeah-"

"Go to Santa Fe." Spot laid back down and covered his head with his pillow.

Jack snatched the pillow and whacked Spot with it.

"This is about the girls. It's urgent."

Spot jumped out of bed.

* * *

 **A/N: _Cendrillon_ is a real silent film by Georges Méliès (who you might remember from the movie, _Hugo_ ). I was trying to find a film that premiered on December 25, 1899 and I was happy to find out that _Cendrillon_ premiered in the United States on that exact day! It's a really great short film that you can find on YouTube. I wish I could have seen the looks on people's faces as they watched these movies for the first time.**

 **P.S. Did you catch my One Direction reference? I was really into them when I wrote this so I just had to put in one of their lines.**


	10. Chapter 10

The boys ran back to Manhattan. Spot brought a few of his newsies with him to keep the counsel even. This is one of the things that had come out of Manhattan and Brooklyn's alliance. Since they were the strongest boroughs in New York, together they made most of the important decisions and kept the peace.

Inside the Manhattan lodging house, Racetrack, Mush, Skittery, Kid Blink, Crutchy, and some of the other older boys were still up playing poker. Helena and Denton were still there too, but Helena's parents had returned to their hotel. Racetrack was teaching her how to play poker.

Everyone looked up as Spot and Jack and the other boys burst in the door.

"What's goin' on?" Racetrack stood up.

"Pie Eater, Snoddy, go and get Dave. We're havin' a meeting." Jack said. "Put away the cards."

Blink and Mush brought in more chairs from the dining room. Denton pulled out two notebooks and pens. Helena joined her uncle on the couch to take notes and Skittery followed to take his place next to her.

"Do you guys always have meetings like this?" Helena asked Skittery.

"Only when it's really important."

Spot tapped his cane on the ground and three of his newsies brought him the biggest chair in the lodging house. He sat watching Jack expectantly.

Jack stood in the center of the circle. He surveyed the audience. Usually there were more girls because Chase, Spark, Story, and a few of the other Brooklyn girls were supposed to be involved with the counsel. It was for the best that they weren't here now.

The lodging house door burst open for the second time that night and David, Pie Eater, and Snoddy came in.

"Alright, we can start now." Said Jack.

"What's this about?" David was obviously confused.

"I'm gettin' to that," Jack answered. "Somebody get Dave a chair."

Spot tapped his cane on the ground again. A few of his newsies popped up and went in search of another chair.

"Alright," Jack started. "Somethin' strange happened tonight when I was takin' Story home."

All eyes were on Jack. "I think we were bein' followed." and then the room erupted with whispers.

"I know there's a lot a' shady figures in this town, have yous noticed anything like that recently?"

The whispers crescendoed as each boy had something to say.

"Hey!" Spot wanted a turn to speak. "SHUT UP!" he banged his cane on the ground. The room went silent again. "Now, I've noticed when the girls are out selling, one guy always buys papes from them twice in the same day."

"That could be a coincidence." Skittery said. Spot was just being too protective.

"More than once?" Spot glared at Skittery.

Helena raised her eyebrow as she took notes. It seemed like it was always Spot verses Skittery and vice versa.

"Plus, not too long ago I was walkin' with the girls and I could hear someone followin' us."

And then Mush remembered what he said he would tell Spot. "Hey, guys, remember the other night when we were comin' back from the races with Spark?"

Jack and the others turned to Mush. He didn't usually add much to the discussion.

"I didn't see anything different." Racetrack commented.

"Well Roselia did. She said that she and Story thought they were being followed. Well- not just followed, chased is more like it. That's why they ran into us."

Spot went a little pale. "Why didn't they tell us this?"

"Rosie didn't want you to worry."

Before Spot could speak again, the boys started talking. Loudly.

"I've been living in this side of town my entire life," David said over the commotion. "We've never had a problem before. There's something strange going on. We have to figure this out."

Jack thought about Sarah and how she walked to work every day. He also remembered when she was harassed by the Delanceys toward the end of the strike. "In the meantime, we gotta figure out a way to keep the girls safe."

Spot regained his composure. "One a' us has to be with them at all times, them goin' together isn't enough."

"Sounds like a plan." David nodded.

* * *

December 26, 1899

Chase was not going to be happy. She had just gotten her freedom back and now it would be taken from her again. And then Spot would have to deal with her complaining from now until forever, or at least until they figured out who was stalking them. That was the price of love.

Spot sat on the steps of the girls' lodging house trying to figure out how he would break the news to her. Good thing the girls took forever to get ready. He'd have a few more minutes to think.

"Morning, Spot." Or not.

He stood up. "Morning Chase, ladies."

Spark scoffed. "What, you don't have time to say our names?"

"Hey," Spot said as he put his arm around Chase's waist. "Do you know how long it would take if I had to call yous all by name?"

"Well a little effort would be nice." Spark was always a little disagreeable in the morning.

"How did you sleep?" Chase asked Spot. There were dark circles under his blue eyes.

"Not that great. Bad dreams."

"About what?"

"You."

"Oh... sorry." Chase wasn't sure what to say.

"Nah, not your fault." After the meeting last night it was almost impossible for Spot to fall asleep. And when he finally did fall asleep, he dreamt of the night Chase got hurt. It was worse watching it happen the second time because then Spot knew there was nothing to do to save her. Plus, there was a new twist to the story. The Delanceys dragged her away as she screamed. And Spot could only stand there and watch her horrified cries.

He shuddered at the thought.

"Do you want to talk about it?" She asked.

"No! I- I don't think that would be a good idea."

"Ok." She squeezed his hand to comfort him. It helped a little.

"Hey, wait." Story said as they turned down a different street than normal . "Aren't we gonna buy papes?

They were walking toward the docks, where the Brooklyn newsies had long claimed their spot, the complete opposite direction of the circulation gates.

"Yeah, it's kinda part of our job." Spark added.

"Meeting this morning."

"Couldn't it wait until later?" Chase cocked her head. She wanted to get started selling so she could go to Medda's earlier. She had some ideas for the show. "I mean, it would make more sense."

"Stop complainin'. I'm the leader here and when I say there's a meeting, there will be a meeting." Spot bit his tongue as soon as the words came out of his mouth. He was so used to being the only Brooklyn leader that he spoke to everyone in a commanding tone like that. But Chase was his queen. He had to remember that they were equals.

Chase turned her eyes back to the road and exhaled sharply.

The morning was already not going well.

When they arrived at the docks, Chase let go of Spot's hand and climbed up the scaffolding to the "throne". She sat down and crossed her arms.

"Great," Spot breathed.

"It's your fault she's mad." Spark said.

He saw Jack, David, and Crutchy coming down the dock. "Oh, just wait, it's gonna get much worse."

"Hey, David." Said Story when she saw him approach the group. "What brings you to Brooklyn this morning?"

"Council business."

"Wait, aren't meetings usually at night?"

David looked away. "Uh... the meeting already happened."

Story took a step back. "What? Why did-"

"Alright, everybody over here!" Spot banged his cane on the ground, scanning the group. He looked up to the throne. Chase hadn't moved from her spot. "Everybody!"

Chase glanced down from her perch. If Jack, Crutchy, and David weren't there she would have stayed where she was. Rolling her eyes she jumped down, pouting. Instead of standing next to Spot like she normally did (as the queen of Brooklyn), she joined Story and Spark with the rest of the Brooklyn newsies. Clearly she wasn't any more special to Spot than the rest of them. She wanted to make sure he understood her message.

Spot shook his head as he began the announcement.

"We've run into a bit of trouble lately. A lot a' people are bein' followed. Not sure why, but it ain't a good sign." Spot panned the crowd, capturing the attention of every newsie there.

"I talked to some guys from the other boroughs and they haven't noticed anything, so it's mostly between Brooklyn and Manhattan." Jack added. "And the targets seem to be the ladies."

Almost all of the girls shifted uncomfortably. Chase looked down at her shoes. Her brother must have told Spot what had happened a few weeks ago. It was a memory she was trying to forget and she hoped the whole thing would just blow over. Obviously not. Story had come home the night before quite shaken. Chase hadn't had the chance to ask her why because Story went to sleep immediately after changing her clothes for the night. Chase wondered if she and Jack had been followed.

Spot spoke again, "We had a council meeting last night. We gotta set some rules to keep yous safe. Girls have to be accompanied by a boy at all times. Groups of girls ain't workin'. I won't be sendin' out any girl birds for a while neither, so find your spot and stick with it. Everybody meet back here after sellin'. No one leaves until we're all counted for. That clear?"

There was a hush over the group that Spot took as understanding.

Chase looked up abruptly, her eyes flashing with anger. They had a meeting without her? Without even letting her know?

"Another thing," David added. "If you see anything strange, report it to a council leader."

Spot dismissed the group. He did send out several male birds to watch the boroughs.

"Hey, Chase," he went back to his girl. "Where are you-"

"I don't know." She cut him off.

"Aw, come on Chase. I wanna talk to you. Thought we'd spend the day together."

"Really, because if you wanted to talk to me so bad, you should have invited me to the council meeting. I am a council leader, after all." She snapped.

"It was late at night."

"So? Last time I checked, you didn't care what time it was."

Spot tried to think of an intelligent response. "I- I didn't-"

Chase was angry. No one had seen her this mad before, not even Spot."Tu es impossible!" she cried. "Je ne peux pas le croire!"

Spot hated it when Chase went French on him. It made him feel inferior, which was a feeling he tried to avoid.

Chase turned, still ranting in French.

"Where are you going?"

"Je vais vendre avec Jack et Crutchy!" She grabbed Jack's arm and dragged him behind her before he could protest. Crutchy followed close behind, nodding his head apologetically at Spot.

* * *

Chase spent the next hour or so raving all the way to the park, never giving Jack or Crutchy a chance to speak (not that they could add anything since they couldn't understand a word she was saying).

"Il pense qu'il est le roi mais il est très bête! Spot est un idiot!"

"Hey," said Crutchy. "I understood that last word-"

"Je le déteste! Il est un menteur!"

"Ok, Never mind..."

"Je le déteste! Je déteste que je l'aime beaucoup! Je l'aime beaucoup mais il est vraiment bête!" Angry tears began streaming down her face. Chase was making a bit of a scene. A few businessmen bought papers from Jack and Crutchy out of pity, patting them on the back and saying, "Good luck." as they left.

"Il est le roi bête mais je l'aime beaucoup! Il me fait si fâché!"

"I don't care what time of the day it was. Nothing has ever stopped him from coming to our window at all hours of the night!" She sat down on the bench and twirled her hair like she did when she was angry or nervous. She quickly wiped her tears.

Jack snapped back when he recognized English. "Chase."

"I should have been there. My girls should have been there."

Crutchy sat down and nudged her. "Chase."

"He promised we would be equals when he first found me. It shouldn't be any different now. Actually, now that I'm his girl, we should be more equal!"

"Chase!" Jack grabbed her shoulders and shook her to get her attention. "Do you hear yourself? You don't make no sense!"

Her eyes stared right into his and her expression changed.

"I'm sorry. He just- he makes me-"

Jack raised an eyebrow. "You and I both know nobody can make you do anything."

Jack sat down on the bench on Chase's other side. Chase snuggled closer to the boys because it was cold and she was tired from all of her raging.

"It's not fair. I'm tired of him treating me this way."

"You know he's doin' it because he loves you." said Crutchy.

"Maybe that's the problem, maybe he loves me too much."

"Now you're really talkin' crazy." He said sternly, making Chase smile. Crutchy was a sweetheart. "You wouldn't get out of it that easy. Are you forgettin' me and Jack and Mush?"

She sighed, her brother was really protective. "But I don't understand why we couldn't be involved in the meeting. We're supposed to be at every meeting. That was the agreement."

"Chase, you wanna know somethin'?" Jack asked. "I was the one who called the meeting last night, me and Story were bein' followed, and I didn't invite yous because I didn't want yous to get upset. Bad idea, I know."

She blinked at him and then she sat straight up. "Why?"

"Because it was late and I felt like it was our job to decide how to protect yous."

"Oh," she paused, laying her head down on his shoulder.

There was a moment of silence. Jack watched the people walking the park. Sparkly icicles hung from the tree branches and almost everything was covered in snow.

"Whoa, wait a second." Something occurred to Jack. "You were just mad at Spot for not invitin' you to the meeting. You just found out I called the meeting and you're not mad. Does that make any sense to you?"

Chase bit her lip. "No..." She gave a half smile, realizing it wasn't right she was only mad at Spot.

"Ha," Crutchy laughed. "Sometimes I think yous the same person. You and Spot, I mean."

She smacked his arm. "What do you mean by that?"

"You're both stubborn and quick-tempered. It's a wonder you haven't killed each other yet."

Chase sighed. "Je l'adore beaucoup. Il est très bête mais je l'adore beaucoup." The boys didn't have to think too hard to figure out what she meant.

* * *

December 27, 1899

David burst through the door of the Manhattan lodging house early the next morning "Have you seen the article about us in The Sun?".

Chase, Spark, and Story had just arrived themselves. They had spent the night at Medda's again.

"None of us sell The Sun, Dave." Mush said.

"Well pardon me for reading for fun." several of the newsies, including Racetrack, laughed at David's rare sarcasm.

"Gimme that," Racetrack snatched the paper out of David's hand. "'Christmas with the Newsies: A Mezzanine Seat to See the Flickers and Other Dreams Come True' what a stupid title." He began reading the article.

 **Those same newsies, who made headlines last summer, have yet another lesson to teach us: charity. They live off little more than pennies a day, hawking "papes" through any weather, and still, they manage to afford Christmas tidings. Most recently, Christmastime has been associated with material possessions. Greed has overcome service and charity. This is not the case with the newsies. They're family. They eat together, they sleep together, they stick together. They do everything they can for each other. Every newsie at the Manhattan lodging house received a present this Christmas. There were no benefactors. No Christmas angels to bestow gifts. The newsies payed for them out of their own pockets.**

The picture below was of all of the newsies, the picture Denton had taken the night before.

 **Besides the wonderful gifts, the older newsies had something else up their sleeves. BELOW: Chase Meyers, of Brooklyn (middle); being blindfolded as Mush Meyers (left), Spot Conlon, of Brooklyn (right); and Jack Kelly (back); prepare her for the surprise of her dreams. The boys escorted Chase, along with the rest of their girls, to 41st street to see a picture show. The night was a success.**

By the time Racetrack was finished reading, everyone was crowded around him to look at the group picture.

"Wow, lookin' good, Chase." Kid Blink commented.

"What did you say about my girl?" Spot smacked him in the back of the head.

"Oh- sorry, Spot. Didn't see you there."

Mush changed the subject. "So... who wrote this article? Was it Denton?"

"No," David said, "It's a name I've never seen before, H. Darling."

"Who's that?"

"Me," Helena was standing in the open doorway.

"You wrote this?" Skittery broke from the group.

She smiled, nodding sheepishly.

"Why the name change?" Race asked. "We never woulda known of you didn't tell us."

"Because the editors wouldn't even read my story because of my name. Uncle Denty is one of their best journalists, they said they didn't want to perpetuate nepotism. They did, however, tell me there was an opening to review Vaudeville shows."

"That's not fair." said Skittery.

"Yeah," she frowned. "But it does protect me a little. No one at my school will ever be able to know it's me. If the headmistress found out, I would be expelled."

"Why?"

"Ms. Trenton disapproves of anything considered unladylike or masculine." Chase chimed in, doing an uncanny impression of her former headmistress. "This is a man's world."

Story, Helena, and Spark nodded with frustrated agreement.

* * *

 **A/N: I tried to come up with all of the French on my own. I took three years of French in high school and I am continuing to study. I did use Google Translate a little bit for some help conjugating some words so I hope this makes sense to the 1 French person I have that's watching this story =)**

 **At beginning of her rant Chase says, "You are impossible! I don't believe this! I am going to sell with Jack and Crutchy!"**

 **Later on she says, "He thinks he's the king but he's really stupid! Spot is an idiot! I hate him! He is a liar! I hate him! I hate it that I love him so much! I love him so much but he is really stupid! He is a stupid king but I love him a lot! He makes me so angry."**

 **After her rant she says, "I love him a lot. He is really stupid but I love him a lot.**

 **(I changed the line "Je l'aime beaucoup. Il est très bête mais je l'aime beaucoup." to "Je l'adore beaucoup..." because adorer means love/adore whereas aimer is closer to "like".)**

 **Yes it is all very repetitive but I wanted it to feel like she was really angry. Originally the chapter started with Chase speaking English again but I really wanted to have her yelling some more. I wanted her anger to feel real.**


	11. Chapter 11

"Are you gettin' sick a' bein' around me?" Mush asked as he skimmed the paper for a good headline. He and Spark were selling together in Manhattan's Central Park under their favorite tree. She had a show that night.

After Christmas, news was slow. It would pick up after the New Year, they were moving into a new century, after all.

Spark furrowed her brow, focusing on the street. "Of course not. Why would you say that?"

"You've been preoccupied lately."

"...huh?"

"See!" he said. "What's goin' on with you?"

"Shhh!" Spark grabbed Mush's papers out of his hand and stuffed them into her newspaper bag. She stood on the park bench to grab a low tree branch and pulled herself up into the tree.

Mush raised an eyebrow but followed her. "What are you doing?" he whispered.

Spark repositioned herself on the branch, trying not to cause snow or icicles to fall to the ground from the branches. "You see that guy there?"

"Where?" She grabbed his face, turning it toward the street. "Oh, yeah. What about him?" He was tall, he looked to be 17 or 18 years old, and from the look of his clothes he appeared to have money.

"I saw him when we got to your lodging house this morning."

"So-"

"And then, when we were leaving the circulation gates, he bought a paper from David."

"Well that could be-"

"And this is his third time walking this street." she put a hand up or stop Mush from speaking. "Tell me that's a coincidence."

Mush narrowed his eyes, now watching the man walk to the corner and then enter the park. "Shhh, he's coming this way!"

The boy avoided the cleared path, instead, he walked the snow-covered grass. Spark and Mush glanced at each other, that was very strange. He went right to their tree, circling it like he was looking for something. He stood still for a moment. Mush and Spark kept perfectly still, barely even breathing. Then, he casually walked away. When they knew the coast was clear, Spark and Mush jumped down to resume business.

"How did you catch that?" said an astonished Mush.

Spark gave a small smile. "I'm a bird. It's my job."

* * *

Knock, knock.

Helena was too enthralled in her reading to notice the knocking at her door.

Knock, knock, knock!

Her uncle had brought over the letters this afternoon. Denton's editor gave him the letters, hoping he would find out who the mystery writer was. The article was a hit. The public loved to hear about their favorite newsboys.

KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!

Startled, Helena jumped up from her bed and unlocked the door. It was Ms. Trenton, she was stern and distainfully proud. She rarely smiled, which Helena thought was a shame. Her constant scowl took away from her looks.

"No locked doors during daylight hours." Ms. Trenton gave a little smirk, like Helena's mistake gave her a dark satisfaction.

"I'm sorry Ms. Trenton, it won't happen again." Helena smiled politely.

The headmistress looked past Helena to the bed, where several letters and their envelopes were strewn about.

"When are those?"

"They're just letters." Helena tried to keep her nerves in check.

"Whom are they from?"

"My-my brother..." Who didn't exist. Helena frantically searched her brain for a name, anyone. "Henry."

Ms. Trenton narrowed her eyes. "All of them?"

"Well some of them are from my friends back in Philadelphia- a- and my parents."

"Then you won't mind me reading them." Ms. Trenton simpered briefly before pushing past the younger girl.

"Ms. Trenton!" Helena was starting to panic. "'The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized!'"

The older woman turned, looking daggers. "When I was a young girl, we knew how to treat our betters."

Helena bit back a comment about how her parents were the ones paying for her schooling here, making her the "better".

"It's only the honest truth. I have rights." she said innocently.

"Rights," Ms. Trenton sneered, "Rights are not for ladies." And she stormed out, nearly slamming the door (because that wouldn't be ladylike).

* * *

"You said that?" David laughed as Helena recounted her story later. "How did she react?"

"She said, and I quote: 'Rights are not for ladies.'"

"That's ridiculous!" exclaimed Chase.

"I know," Helena agreed. "I couldn't believe it."

"That woman is horrible."

Helena gasped melodramatically. "Imagine what would happen if she found out I've been writing for 'The Sun'." she and Chase shuddered.

"Maybe you should just leave that school, like Chase, and be a newsie like us." Racetrack said, eavesdropping from the poker table.

Helena laughed a pretty laugh, Skittery couldn't help but smile. "I would do that in a heartbeat," She started. "But I think that would kill my mother. She's alright with me being friends with 'yous' but she doesn't want me to be like you. She wants me to marry a rich man and keep our legacy going."

Chase heard the church bells chime in the distance. She glanced at Story and then Spark, motioning them toward the door.

"Chase, where are you going?" Said Spot, just as she had her hand on the doorknob. He was seated at the poker table, his back turned to her.

She silently cursed herself. "I have rehearsal." She crossed her arms.

He turned to look at her. "You know you can't go alone."

"I'm not going to be alone, Spark and Story are coming."

"I said girls have to be accompanied by a boy, that's how it's gonna be from now on." He stood up. "I'll come with you-"

"No," She spat. "I don't want you to."

Spot's gaze faltered for a second and he looked stung. "Well, you gotta go with someone."

"Nicholas," she commanded her brother royally.

Mush looked to his sister and then to Spark, who was sending him pleading looks.

"Now! "

He got up from his seat at the poker table and opened the door for the girls. Chase took the handle from him and slammed it behind her.

"Rosie, and why do you gotta pull me into all this?" Mush asked as he took Spark's arm.

"I am tired of being treated like a little girl. I can take care of myself."

"Ok, when have you ever had to take care of yourself?"

"You're right, I haven't just had to take care of myself. I have been taking care of all the newsgirls in Brooklyn, plus the little ones- not that I've ever complained–"

"That's not exactly what I meant."

She looked at him, shooting daggers, but her green eyes filled with tears. She ran ahead so the others wouldn't see, the but she still stayed in his sight.

"Mush," Spark spoke up. "I think it would be best if you let her cool off a minute."

"What's goin' on with her?" His brow was furrowed with concern.

"I think it's pride. " Story said, taking Mush's other arm. "She really has been taking care of herself these past three years. I mean, Spot had a close eye on her but she pretty much did everything for herself."

"And us. " Spark added. "When Chase moved into our lodging house, she kinda became the leader. And she's been makin' sure we were ok with money and everything since."

"She's a strong girl. But like I said, it's pride. She hated feeling vulnerable, having to use the crutch. Now that she's free again she doesn't wanna give it up."

"Then why is she cryin'? " Mush thought he knew about girls (although most of his friends would probably disagree) but this particular group of girls was so confusing to him, especially Roselia.

"She's scared," Story said, as if it was so obvious. "You know what made her leave that boarding school and become a newsie."

It was painful for Mush to think about. His sister was attacked by Warden Snyder, who frequently called on Ms. Trenton at the boarding school. It could have been bad but she got away before anything could happen. And then Spot took her in and she started living the "fine life", carrying the banner with the rest of the newsies of New York. She had been through a lot.

"If she's scared, " Mush thought it out. "why is she so upset with me and Spot?"

He still didn't get it. "Haven't you been paying attention?" Spark smacked him on the back of the head. "She's afraid of what could happen."

"That's the price for bein' a newsie. You get a life of freedom but at the same time, it's dangerous. That's not anything new."

"Chase has a pretty big imagination. Sometimes she stays up late at night, not bein' able to sleep because of something she read in the papers or in books."

"Even stuff she made up in her own head." Story added.

"She wants to take care of herself and be in control. At the same time, and she knows she probably wouldn't be able to fight whatever's out there. It's upsetting to her."

* * *

 **A/N: I love writing strong female characters that are still a little emotional. Actually, I like all of my characters to have an emotional side. As I was rereading "Five Thousand Reasons..." I thought I should have titled it "Five Thousand Reasons To Cry" because all of my characters, even Spot, cried at some point in the story.**

* * *

December 28, 1899

"So people really liked your article? " Skittery asked, trying to make conversation with Helena.

"Yes," Her blue eyes lit up. "I've gotten so many letters from readers these past few days. They loved it!"

"Yeah, I read it. You wrote it good." He smiled.

"Mr. Glum and Dumb is actually complimenting someone other than himself?" Racetrack teased. "He must be in love!"

Everyone laughed, joining in with Racetrack's teasing.

"Shut your mouth or I'll shut it for ya, Race!" Skittery tried to hide his blush, as turned back to Helena.

It took time but Chase got used to being escorted by the boys all the time. She did, however, try to make life difficult for Spot every chance she could. She had to entertain herself somehow.

Ring ring, ring ring.

After the strike, Governor Roosevelt required the lodging houses in all of New York have telephones. I occasionally he (or Denton, his liaison to the newsies) would call and check up on them to make sure they were being treated right. The telephones also served as easier communication between boroughs and lodging houses.

Ring ring, ring ring.

The boys absolutely hated it.

Ring ring, ring ring.

"Will someone answer it already?" Racetrack asked irritably. When he was into a poker game, anything that threw him off made him angry.

"Spot," Kloppman called from the other room. "Telephone is for you."

Spot pounded his fist on the table, he was really getting into the game too, and he reluctantly left his place at the poker table. "Hold on a minute, fellas." He slipped his cards in his pocket.

"What is it?" He asked into the phone, annoyance in every word.

"Is that really how you're going to speak to your queen?" Chase said on the other end of the line.

Spot rolled his eyes (she wouldn't be able to see him do that now). "Will you make this quick? I'm in the middle of a game."

"Oh, so you're little game of cards is more important than my safety?" Spot could hear Story and Spark giggling in the background. "I need you to come pick us up right now."

Spot grit his teeth. "I was just in Brooklyn less than an hour ago. Why didn't yous just come with me then?"

"Because we weren't ready."

Spot didn't say anything.

"You know, you're the one that made up this stupid rule." Chase said. "We would have been there by now and your game wouldn't be interrupted." Spot could practically hear her sarcastic smile. "I think we'll be fine if you let us walk by ourselves this once."

"No way. Yous stay right where you are, ya hear? Somebody will be over to pick yous guys up."

"But-"

"That's how it's gonna be!"

Chase went silent for a second. "Fine." She hissed.

Spot slammed the phone down and returned to his place at the poker table.

"Who was that?" Racetrack asked. "The girls?"

"Yeah," Spot turned his attention to his cards.

"What did they want?"

"They want someone to walk them over here."

"But you were just there." said Kid Blink.

"I know," Spot said. "I think they're just doing this to make our lives miserable."

"Women." Racetrack shook his head.

"So, you gonna go?" Mush asked as he threw a few pennies into the center of the table.

"In a minute, I just sat down!"

"Yeah, but you know they're just gonna call again and again until you do." This had happened more than once.

Spot groaned. "You're right..." He looked around the room to see who he could make go to Brooklyn with the least resistance. "Mush...?"

"Oh no," Mush protested. "Roselia dragged me all over town this week."

It was true. To show Spot how seriously angry she really was, Chase avoided him at all costs. It was driving him out of his mind. And Mush had to hear all the complaining.

"I'll go," Racetrack said, looking over his cards.

Spot raised an eyebrow skeptically. "What's the catch?" With Racetrack Higgins there was always a catch.

"Let me take Rosie out on a date." Race answered coolly.

"Absolutely not. She's my girl."

"But she's Mush's flesh and blood. What do you say Mush?"

"I say it's her decision whether she goes out with you or not. But I'm just gonna guess the answer's no."

"I'll play yous to be her date." Racetrack deftly shuffled the cards.

"She ain't a prize neither." Spot's glare intensified.

"And besides, Race," Mush said. "You woulda lost anyway. Royal flush." He slammed his cards on the table.

Racetrack gaped at Mush's cards. He never won poker.

"How did you...?"

"It don't matter. What matters is that somebody walks the girls over here. Now." said Mush.

"So send Jack over," Blink said. "Chase won't have a problem with him comin'."

"Nah," Spot said as he thought. Jack was asleep with his hat over his eyes, leaning against the wall with a book Sarah gave him in his lap. And Jack hated being woken up, probably as much as Spot did. Spot glanced over at the couch. "Hey Skittery."

Skittery sighed irritably, he was in a conversation with Helena. "What is it?"

"Go to Brooklyn and pick up the girls." Spot demanded.

"It ain't my problem, they're not my girls." Even though he desperately wanted Story to be his.

"I'm tellin' you it is your problem."

"I don't want to." Skittery crossed his arms like a defiant toddler.

"I didn't ask if you wanted to." Spot did the same.

"Come on, Skittery. We've been with the girls all week." Mush whined.

* * *

Skittery trudged down the dark streets, fuming. If he didn't want to see Story so bad he wouldn't have done it. Skittery wasn't the leader type but he didn't like the current leaders. Especially Spot, and who thought he was the king over everyone and everything. Not just Brooklyn.

"Oh, hey Skittery." Story smiled as she opened the door of the girls lodging house, letting Skittery into the warmth. "You look freezing!" He hadn't had a chance to grab a jacket back in Manhattan.

"Nah, it's not that bad." He tried to play it off like it was nothing.

"Come on in and sit by the fire."

The girls' lodging house was a lot nicer than the boys'. Perhaps it was because the boys were rougher and messier. But to Skittery, the girls' lodging house was like a 5 star hotel. He had never been inside until now.

"So," Skittery said finally. The snow in his hair melted and now he was wet. "Are we goin' or what?"

Story sat herself on the couch. "We're goin'... Eventually. The other two are gettin' ready."

"Ready for what?"

"Their boys."

Skittery could tell this was going to be a long night. He could hear Chase and Spark's annoying, girly laughter from downstairs. They were so obnoxious. He had no idea how Story put up with them.

After a while, Skittery started to doze off. Until he heard the screaming.

"What? What is it?" He called up the steps.

"A spider!" Chase cried.

"A spider?"

"In our closet!" Spark added.

"Come kill it!"

Skittery kicked the banister. They started him awake. For a little spider.

"I hate spiders." Story shivered.

Skittery shook his head. Now he had to go upstairs and kill it.

He was met with more screams when he entered the girls' room by a few of the younger newsgirls who didn't know him.

"Where is it?"

"I don't know!" Spark hid behind a sink as if it would protect her from the terrifying spider.

"What do you mean, you don't know?"

"It escaped!" Chase said as she comforted the younger girls.

"You know you'd think, bein' from Brooklyn and all, yous would be more brave." Skittery smirked.

"We're the toughest, no one ever said anything about bravest."

"Says The Princess."

Chase's glare was nearly identical to Spot's, it was actually frightening. But Skittery wasn't scared. "Just kill the spider, you bum!" Especially when she would say something like that. Chase grew up in the high society. Slang just didn't sound right coming out of her mouth.

It took Skittery 20 minutes to search through the girls' closet (amongst their unmentionables) and find the spider (which was no larger than a penny).

"Thanks."Chase hugged him with one arm, an actual gesture of gratitude. Skittery was surprised.

When he went back downstairs, Story was asleep on the couch. He could wake her up. She probably missed David. But why would he want to help her in that way? He loved her too. Besides, she looked so peaceful. He sat back down on the couch and watched her as she slept. Her breaths were slow and even. Skittery touched the scar on her cheek, his fingertips barely brushing her skin. It was her only imperfection. She was beautiful. Her red curls framed her face perfectly. She reminded him of Sleeping Beauty, awaiting true love's kiss to break the spell.


	12. Chapter 12

"We're ready." Said Chase. The two girls were standing in the foyer.

"Finally."

They decided to leave Story home since she was already asleep. Snow was falling again. The wind swirled the feather-like snowflakes through the dark streets.

"Aren't you cold?" Chase asked Skittery. Both girls held onto his arms so they wouldn't slip on the icy street.

"No," He said.

"You have a jacket, right?" Spark questioned.

"Yeah but I left it at the lodging house." This was probably the first mildly friendly conversation he'd had with either of these girls since he met them.

"Was Spot angry when I called him?" asked Chase.

"A little." Skittery said.

Chase looked up at him and raised an eyebrow. Spot was never just "a little" angry.

"Did he throw anything?" From Spark's nervous tone, it sounded like this was a regular thing with the Brooklyn leader.

"No, he was generally calm about it."

"That's good."

They walked on. The streets were dark. Some of the street lights were lit but that did little to penetrate the black night. The snow only made it harder to see what was ahead of them.

The girls slipped a couple times as they crossed the bridge. It was really icy.

"What I wanna know, Chase," Skittery said as he helped her up for the third time. "Is how you and Spot stay together. You're always fightin' and gettin' on each other's nerves."

She thought for a second. She guessed that word of her outburst the other day had made it back to the Manhattan lodging house. "It's love." She said finally.

"You're serious?"

"Yeah," she dared him to say something about it. "From the moment I saw him for the first time, I knew there was something about him... I- I really can't put it into words. I love him and he loves me. We're mad for each other." She smiled out into space.

"But you fight so often."

"I know," she said. "And I hate that he's always trying to control me. Always trying to protect me. But at the same time I couldn't imagine a day without him." She really had been missing him all the time she spent avoiding him and selling with her brother. She wanted him to understand how she felt and she didn't know any other way to teach him his lesson. But even speaking with him on the phone gave her uncontrollable butterflies and the desire to hold him in an embrace and kiss him. She would have to forgive him sooner or later.

Skittery opened his mouth to say something sarcastic but then he stopped. Someone was following them. He could hear the footsteps. Skittery glanced behind them but he didn't see anything.

The girls could hear the footsteps kept going, at least a block. And the person still followed them. Skittery could feel both of the girls grip his arms tighter the farther they went.

As they approached the second block, another set of footsteps was heard.

"Skittery," Chase whispered, her eyes were wide.

"Shhh... " He said.

The footsteps got faster.

"Come on," Skittery broke into a jog. The girls had to fight to keep up with the taller boy.

The footsteps got even faster. This was not right.

"Run!" Skittery pushed them ahead.

The girls took off in the pitch black, no idea where they were going. They just had to get out of there. It was difficult for them to run because it was so icy and Chase was still getting used to running.

"Ahhh!" Spark couldn't help herself from screaming as she slipped on a patch of ice.

"Spark! Are you ok?" Chase searched for her friend in the darkness.

"Yeah, I'll be alright. I think I just twisted my ankle."

Skittery stood in the middle of the street as he tried to gauge where their pursuers were. They were getting closer. And then all of the sudden they stopped.

"Where are yous?" He called into the darkness. Nothing.

Chase reached out to help Spark up when someone grabbed her by the waist, dragging her through the snow.

"AHHH! SKITTERY!" Chase cried, throwing blind punches and kicks at her attacker.

"Chase?" He turned toward her screams. Suddenly, someone took a swing at him. He received the full force right in his eye. It blurred his vision, and making it even more difficult to see. He threw a punch and then another one, missing both times. His opponent stood back silently and watched as Skittery struggled for a few moments.

He (she could tell it was a man) threw Chase over his shoulder and started in the other direction, laughing evilly as he went. "SKITTERY, HELP!" He was too strong for her.

Realizing it was no use to fight his unseen enemy, Skittery stood up running toward Chase's voice.

He promptly encountered another hit to the jaw. This time it was harder, so hard he could feel blood starting to gush from his lip. As Skittery turned to fight back, he slipped on a patch of ice and hit his head on the curb. His vision went black as the sound of the girls' screams echoed through the street. Skittery tried to get up, but his body gave into the pain. He blacked out.

* * *

"Chase!" Spark called. She attempted to stand, the icy ground and the fact that her ankle was already swelling made it almost impossible. As she tried to rise a second time, someone caught her from behind. It didn't feel like Skittery's grip at all.

"Let go a' me!" Spark raged, just as Chase had. She received a smack in the face as a response, it stunned her for a second. Just long enough for her captor to drag her off the street.

The girls were taken into a building and down some steps into a dark room. They knew they were someplace in Manhattan, but they had no idea their exact location.

They were both thrown violently onto a bed that creaked under their weight. Chase and Spark huddled together, holding back tears as they heard their captors approach.

"There ain't no need to cry, Doll Face." Chase recognized that voice all too well.

* * *

 **A/N: And so it begins! This is such a short chapter but I hope I did well enough to convey the suspense. What do yous think?**


	13. Chapter 13

Skittery woke cold and stiff, a warm pool of red blood covered the ground by his head. A thin layer of snow collected on his body. How long had he been out? He bolted up. The girls were gone.

Skittery ran as fast as he could toward the lodging house. He ignored the fact that he could have frozen to death only to be found by morning. The girls were gone; for all he knew, they could be dead. On his watch.

* * *

"He left almost four hours ago." Mush said. He felt sick to his stomach. Skittery and the girls should have been back. It only took about an hour, maybe an hour and a half on a bad day, to get to Brooklyn and back.

"I guess somebody should go out and look for them." Spot kept a straight face but in truth, he had been checking the clock every ten minutes. He knew how late it was.

"Should we call the police?" Helena asked.

"When were the police ever a help to us?" Mush ran a hand through his hair.

"It couldn't hurt."

Skittery crashed through the door. He nearly collapsed. He just ran six blocks in the freezing cold snow. His lips were blue, quite a contrast to the blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. And his skin was a ghostly white.

"Skittery," Mush took a step toward him as calmly as possible. "What happened?"

Skittery shivered. "W-walkin' th-through 'h-hattan w-wit d-da girls. A-at-ttacked. T-two g-guys."

Spot ran out the door, the street was empty and only one set of tracks led up to the porch. He stormed back inside.

"WHERE ARE THE GIRLS?!" He pinned the taller boy against the door frame.

"Gone."

Spot dropped Skittery, who collapsed on the floor. Kid Blink and Helena helped him to the couch.

"No," Spot breathed. "They can't be." He ran back outside. "Chase! Are you out there?!"

Mush followed, almost in a daze."This can't be happening." The room was spinning. And then he vomited over the porch railing. Helena helped get him back inside, despite his protests.

Jack ran out the door too. He ran and ran, following Spot's tracks for blocks. He tripped over Spot who was kneeling on the middle of the street in the darkness.

"Spot," He didn't even move. Jack saw what Spot was looking at. It was Chase's gold heart locket. Next to it was one of her pink hair ribbons.

The newsies returned after midnight. Jack and a couple of the other boys had to drag Spot back to the lodging house. Helena, Skittery, Mush, Denton, and Kloppman had stayed back.

"Did you find them?" Mush asked hopefully. Helena wouldn't let him go out.

Spot's blue eyes were rimmed with red. He held up the locket, completely devastated.

Mush felt like the floor had dropped from under him.

"We'll find them." Helena made Spot sit down. He cuddled up to her like she was his mother as he played with the locket. It was an unusual sight for the boys to see the king of Brooklyn acting like a child. Normally someone would have teased him about it. But not after what happened tonight.

"Skittery, do you remember anything?" Denton asked. Skittery had hit his head pretty hard. A bandage was wrapped around his head, covering the deep gash in the back.

Skittery nodded.

"Alright then, boys, go upstairs. We need to talk to the witness. This is an investigation."

* * *

If she wasn't so weak from struggling to escape him, Chase would have murdered Oscar Delancey.

"What do you want with us?" Although she knew full well what the Delanceys wanted.

"Oh, it's not what we want, is it Morris?" He said, almost regretfully.

"Then why are we here?" Spark narrowed her eyes.

Oscar ignored her question and called up the steps. "Come on down, guys."

Chase and Spark listened as two people came down the steps, wondering who it was. Until they stepped into the light.

They both recognized them. The girl had overly bleached blonde hair and she wore too much makeup. The boy was tall and lean, but his muscles were visible through his shirt. The two of them wore simple, dark clothing, both had hats like the newsies wore.

"Good evening, girls." The boy smiled but there was something sinister in his eyes. "Do you remember us?"

The two girls made no response.

"My friends call me Shade," he said. "And this is my sister, Prima." The girl just smirked haughtily. "I trust you recognize us from your little outing to Coney Island." He took a step toward Chase who reeled back a little, glaring just the way Spot had taught her. "I already know who you are. You're Roselia Emmeline Meyers, Chase, to your friends. Sixteen years old. Your cousin and adopted brother is Nicholas 'Mush' Meyers, Manhattan newsie. You're a Brooklyn newsie and you're currently courting the king of Brooklyn himself, Spot Conlon."

Her glare broke for a second. Over the past three years, Spot had helped Chase hide her identity. Up until recently, only Spot and Mr. and Mrs. Casella and Spark and Story knew her real name."Wh-what do you want with us?"

"I want something you have."

Spark interjected. "We're poor newsies-"

"As are we, in the off-season," his tone was even and cool. "I know you have no money."

"Then what is it you want?"

He looked at Chase. "Brooklyn."

* * *

Ring ring, ring ring.

The phone rang for the second time that night.

"Hello?" Kloppman answered it and then he turned to the rest of the room. "It's Mrs. Casella." He clearly didn't want to break the news to her.

Mush tentatively walked up to the counter and took the phone. "H-hello..."

Everyone else watched.

"They were o-on their w-way here, " He was trying so hard not to cry. "B-but the girls, t-they got kidnapped... Yeah, th-the three of them..."

Mush looked up for a second, nervously tapping the counter top. "What..? She is? Oh good... Yeah, just don't let anyone outside alone... We already called the police... Ok, we'll tell yous when we know somethin'... Ok, bye."

"What is it, Mush?" Spot asked, the slightest glimmer of hope in his eyes.

"Story is safe, she never left their house."

* * *

"Uncle, couldn't we do this in the morning? We all need some rest." Helena and Denton sat in the front room of the lodging house. Skittery lied on the couch across from them, staring at the ceiling.

"It's better that we do it now so he doesn't forget any important details." Denton handed her a notepad and a pen.

"I don't think I would be able to sleep, anyway." Skittery's tone was flat.

"See?" Denton smiled a little. "Now, Skittery, are you ready?"

"Yeah, I guess."

"I'm going to need your full name."

"It's Henry."

"And what's your last name?" Helena asked as she wrote in her perfect handwriting.

"I don't have one."

Helena looked up from her notepad. "Don't have one?"

"I have one, probably. I just don't remember it."

"Ah ha," Denton thought, taking down some notes himself. "Ok, I hope you don't get offended by this next part. Because you were the only witness, we're going to need some background information on you. You're also considered a suspect, but innocent until proven guilty, and I'm positive you didn't do anything wrong."

"Ok."

Helena wanted to give him a hug. Skittery wasn't the most animated person she'd ever known, but she had never seen him like this.

"Do you want to tell us a little about yourself?"

"What do yous want to know?" He turned to his side.

"Just start at the beginning."

Skittery told him how his parents were immigrants, and that they had him just a few weeks after they came to America. They were very poor. His father worked at the docks unloading imported shipments from all over the world. His father had gotten very sick with a foreign virus. No one knew what was wrong with him. Young Henry was sent next door to stay with their neighbors until his father got better.

But he got worse. He was running out of time when someone told them there was a doctor in New Jersey who might know how to treat him. Henry's mother spent all the money they had to get on a train to Jersey. Unfortunately, their train car derailed and his parents were killed instantly.

Henry was just five years old. The neighbors couldn't take care of him forever.

"You've been a newsie since you were five?" Although she couldn't stand her parents at times, Helena could not imagine living a day without them.

"Yeah... " Skittery stared up at the ceiling again.

Denton and Helena continued to question Skittery about the details of the night. He answered their questions very well but he was clearly distracted.

"Well, thanks for your time, Skittery," Denton yawned. "We should get going, Helena."

He helped her up. She took one look at Skittery and she almost cried. He looked so distraught.

"I'll meet you in the carriage, Uncle."

She waited until her uncle closed the door behind him before she sat on the couch next to Skittery.

"Are you going to be ok?"

It took him a while to answer. "I don't know." He sighed. "This is all my fault."

"What do you-"

"If I was a better fighter, I woulda stood a chance against whoever that was. And Spark and Chase wouldn't be missing."

"Skittery," Helena took his hand and looked right into his eyes. "You know that's not true. There's nothing you could have done."

He leaned back, a pained expression on his face. "You're right. I just wish there was."

Helena studied his face for a minute. She smiled a little. "Why do you care so much? You and Chase fight all the time."

"I wouldn't wish anything like this on anyone."

"And it's because Spark is Story's sister and Chase is her best friend. You love Story, don't you?"

"It's that obvious?"

"Yes," she smiled. "You'd do anything for her."

"Uh huh..."

Helena went in for a hug. "My uncle and I will do everything we can to find Chase and Spark. He was a detective when he was younger, so he knows how a search like this works." She reached up and took his face in her hands. "We will find them, Skittery."

* * *

Spot stayed the night in Manhattan. He was completely out of his mind, barely saying a word to any of the boys. He didn't even demand someone give up their bed for him. He lied on the floor next to the window, without a blanket or a pillow until Kloppman brought some up.

Mush did his best to keep it together. He vomited twice before the night was out. The first time, he ran into Kid Blink, throwing up all over him as he tried to make it to the toilet. The second time, he tripped over Spot, flinging open the window to relieve himself.

After that, he cried for hours as he tried to search his mind for comfort. He decided to turn to God, opening his bible to read. It was difficult in the dim moonlight and his tears blurring his vision didn't help.

* * *

 **A/N: Poor bbs! And poor Skittery! This was an early chapter from "The Turn". In that version you find out (or guess) that Skittery's parents and Chase's (biological) parents died in the same train accident. The villain in that story was supposed to be the one who caused the accident for reasons I can't really remember... Anyway that's just a fun fact.**


	14. Chapter 14

"You want Brooklyn?" Chase lifted her chin and tried to look as queenly as possible.

"And eventually all of New York." Shade smiled deviously, leaning against the old printing press. Chase guessed that it was the same press that was used to print Denton's article that helped them win the strike.

Spark raised an eyebrow. "I don't understand how that has anything to do with us."

"It's really not you, Spark."

She flinched when Shade said her name.

"It's really Chase I need."

Chase glared at Shade hatefully. Her green eyes shone brightly in the light of the single bulb.

"Please share. What are you planning on doing with me?" She spoke, anger and sarcasm in every word.

Shade examined the printing press. "Nothin'," He said. "Yet. You see, your little strike over the summer inspired me. Someone new needs to step up and lead Brooklyn into the new century. Now that the strike is over, everyone's comfortable, back to the way things used to be..."

Chase's eyes widened the slightest bit. "Perfect timing for an uprising."

"Now is the time to seize the day." Shade smirked, looking up from the printing press. "Do you know if this press works?"

Chase didn't answer.

"No matter, I can figure it out myself." He crossed toward the girls, stepping into the light more "My boys have been preparing for this for months. They've been trying to answer this question: Just what is Spot Conlon's weakness?"

"And you think you have the answer?"

"Yes," Shade nodded. "And she's starin' right at me."

"What-"

Shade sat on the bed between the two girls and he turned to Chase. "Leverage, Hon'." It was all she could do not to punch him, but that wouldn't help her case. "Spot may seem like a street-hardened Brooklyn boy, but his problem is, he's gotten too attached to you. If anything happened to his darling Roselia," he brushed a stray blonde curl out of her face. "It would kill him."

Spark could see the color drain from Chase's face, but nothing in her eyes showed any emotion. Spark was close to tears though. She didn't know how the two of them would get out of this. She didn't like it that they were down in the basement alone with these boys. Anything could happen.

Chase was completely disgusted. "So that's it then? You're just going to kill him and take over?"

"Patience, love. We're workin' it one step at a time here." He said. "While I have you here, I want some information. I know Conlon has hundreds of birds all over this city. I'm gonna need their names and whereabouts."

"Why should we tell you?"

"You're going to want to tell me or..." Shade looked back at The Delancey Brothers, who laughed wickedly in response.

Spark was quick to respond. "I don't know anything, I swear." Chase could sense a little fear in Spark's voice.

"She's right," Said Chase, resigned. "She doesn't know anything. Let her go. You said so yourself, she's of no use to you."

"But she is. A little extra leverage. And I know you, Rosie, would do anything to keep her and the rest of your friends safe."

Spark shifted uneasily. Chase just stared at Shade, trying to hide her emotions.

"If you don't tell me what I ask, she'll be the first to go. Then your beloved brother and then Story and Jack Kelly... Every last one of them, until you talk."

"You think these two goons will be enough to eliminate my friends?" Chase spat.

"I have many more 'goons'."

Chase and Spark looked at each other. "You had them following us all around the city."

"Of course I did. They're my loyal Shadows." He was tiring of the conversation. "Now boys."

At Shade's command, the Delanceys roughly grabbed Spark and slammed her against the wall. Oscar pinned her arms back while Morris pressed on her throat with his hand. She could just barely breathe. "Make your choice."

Chase glanced from Spark to the Delanceys to Shade. Spark was making the most horrible choking sounds. Her eyes were wide and she thrashed against the Delanceys but they were too strong for her.

"Alright! I'll tell you. Just let her go!"

The boys released Spark. She dropped to the ground, panting and gasping for breath.

"I knew you would see it my way." Shade stepped away toward the stairs. He took his sister, Prima's hand. "Now lovelies, the hour is late. We will interrogate you tomorrow. Sleep well."

* * *

December 29, 1899

The lodging house was unusually quiet that morning. All of the joy was gone. Gone with Chase and Spark. Any of the newsies who had girls of their own (or girls that they liked) were scared to death that they would be kidnapped too.

Mush, Spot, Skittery, and Jack dragged themselves out of bed. It was a painful sight to see the four of them so grieved.

The boys congregated downstairs to figure out what they were going to do.

David and Les arrived shortly thereafter. "Hey ya guys-" He stopped when he saw their faces. "What's going on?"

Spot and Mush were in no condition to answer, neither of them even comprehended David's words. Skittery was in his own world, the events that had happened the night before we're so unreal. Jack spoke for them.

"Chase and Spark were kidnapped last night."

"What?! How- why- Where's Story? !"

"I'm ok." They all turned to see Story standing in the doorway with Helena and Denton close behind.

Her eyes were red and puffy. It looked like she had done a lot of crying. Her white scar was quite a contrast to her pink face.

"Oh, thank goodness!" David pulled her into a tight hug, lifting her a few inches off the ground. When he let her down, he turned back to his friends. "How did it happen?"

"They were walkin' from Brooklyn with Skittery an' they got attacked by two goons." Spot said, almost no expression in his voice. He stared off as he played with Chase's locket, which he wore around his neck along with his silver key, opening and closing it with a snap. He had tied the pink ribbon around his wrist.

"I-I f-fell asleep so they l-left me at h-h-home." Said Story, starting to cry again. "I-if I was w-with them m-maybe-"

"You couldn't have done anything, Story." Skittery broke his own silence, looking the girl right in the eye. "They were too strong for me and the other girls, they just woulda got you too. Consider yourself lucky."

This did little to comfort her. But Story, being the kind and nurturing soul she was, could tell Skittery was beating himself up inside.

"Oh, Skittery!" she crossed the room and embraced him, something Skittery had wanted since he met her. But he wasn't even thinking that now. He smiled less than half a smile.

"Have you guys done anything? Did you call the police?" David asked anxiously.

"I took care of that last night." Said Helena as she stepped into the room. "My uncle has some connections with the police force. They're patrolling the blocks nearby."

"And we got ads in the newspapers." Denton added.

"Which ones?" Jack questioned.

"All of them. 'The Sun', of course; plus 'The World', 'The Journal', 'The Tribune', 'The Herald', 'The Times'." Helena presented the stack of newspapers in her hands, one of each. "I have them all here, except for 'The World'." She handed one to David, Jack, Skittery, Mush, and Spot. The five of them anxiously skimmed the pages until they found the ads.

Mush found it first in his copy of 'The Journal'. "Two Newsgirls Missing." his voice cracked as he read. Helena put her hand on his shoulder for comfort. **"Last night Madeleine 'Spark' Masi and Roselia 'Chase' Meyers, newsgirls of Brooklyn, were kidnapped by two men last night at around ten o' clock near Central Park. If you have any information regarding this case, please contact Bryan Denton."** followed by Denton's contact information.

Below the title were pictures of the girls. The first one was of Chase and Spot riding in Teddy Roosevelt's carriage after the strike, laughing because of something the governor had said. What hurt him the most was that Spot could remember the exact moment the photograph was taken. He could feel the heat from the summer sun and he could hear Chase's beautiful laugh, he almost liked it as much as her singing. He bit his bottom lip hard, until it bled, and then he stormed outside to get some air.

The second picture was of Spark and Story. Denton had taken the picture of the sisters Christmas day but he hadn't had them published in the newspaper. Helena had planned to compile all of the newsies' pictures and make a picture book for her friends but this was a better use of the photograph.

"You guys are gonna be late. Gotta get those papes before they're all out." Kloppman said, not in his usually cheerful voice.

As they exited the lodging house, Helena caught Skittery's arm.

"Aren't you supposed to be in school?" He walked, looking straight ahead.

"Uncle Denton told Ms. Trenton there was a family emergency." Said Helena. "Which is completely true. These girls are my only friends. They're like family to me."

"So what are you gonna do? Sit and wait by the telephone until someone calls with information?" Skittery laughed bitterly. "Like that's gonna happen."

"Well actually," Helena gave a half smile. It cheered Skittery a little. "Uncle Denton was going to walk the streets and look for suspicious activity and clues. And I thought, since I'm really not doing anything, maybe you could teach me what being a newsie is all about."

"Alright, then." Skittery let himself smile for real.


	15. Chapter 15

"Time to wake up, ladies." Oscar said, Morris followed him down the steps into the basement of the circulation building. They carried two mugs and a brown paper bag.

"Not like we coulda slept anyway." Spark snorted.

The girls' wrists were tied behind them to the bed frame. They were forced to sit upright all night, facing each other.

"Sorry to hear that, Girly." Said Morris.

"No you're not." She snapped.

The boy lifted his hand to strike.

Oscar stopped him. "Come on, Morris. These girls is our guests. We should treat them with all the respect theys deserves." He sat down on the bed next to Chase and put his arm around her. "How did you sleep, Doll Face?"

"I didn't," she did her best to shrug him off.

"Aww, somebody sounds cranky," He and his brother shared a glance. "How's about a good mornin' kiss?"

Chase had been working on the knot the boys had tied all night. A piece of rope was not going to keep her prisoner in this dusty old basement. She had planned on waiting until they left and then she and Spark could try to escape through the window. But when Oscar came at her, puckering his lips, she couldn't just sit there and let him kiss her again.

"Get away from me!" And she punched him right in the face. The force of the punch (and the shock of it all) caused Oscar to back into the printing press.

The look on his face was priceless. Chase couldn't hold back any more. The haughty smirk she had picked up from Spot lit up her face.

"Ooooh, you're gonna get it." Morris said, clearly enjoying the show.

Oscar wiped blood from the corner of his mouth and stepped toward her, pulling back his fist like he was going to strike. Chase's gaze didn't waver. "You're lucky, Doll Face. Shade made us promise not to touch yous until the show."

"Show? What show?" Spark looked from one Delancey to the other, narrowing her eyes.

Oscar ignored her. He stroked Chase's gold curls, twirling them around his fingers. "But after that, yous are fair game." The look in his eye frightened her more than anything else but she didn't show it.

Oscar grabbed the rope and forcefully took Chase's hands. He pulled the knot hard, so hard it cut into Chase's wrists and causing her to gasp openly.

"Tight enough?" He and Morris laughed darkly.

"Boys! Hurry up, we got work to do!" A voice from upstairs bellowed. The girls recognized it belonged to Weasel.

"Alright we's comin' in a little bit!" Morris called. "Breakfast time, ladies."

The boys pulled out two pieces of bread from the bag.

"Does your uncle know we're down here?" Spark asked, dodging Morris' hand as he tried to feed her.

The brothers shared a mischievous smile.

"'Course he does, Shade is payin' room and board for yous two." said Morris.

"Hope the accommodations are to your liking." Oscar added.

Chase just glared at him, not opening her mouth. She wouldn't eat if she was being forced.

"Shade wants yous lookin' healthy for the show. And ya gotta eat anyway." Oscar persisted.

"I don't want t-." Oscar shoved the whole piece of bread in her mouth.

Spark, who was in the middle of drinking, spit a mouthful of water in Morris' face.

"That's it!" And she kicked him where she could reach.

Morris dumped the mug of water over her head.

"Come on, boys!"

"I SAID WE'RE COMIN'!" Morris turned to the girls. "See ya's later."

As soon as the girls heard the trap door shut, they relaxed. Chase leaned her head against the wall and closed her eyes. Spark could see that she was starting to cry.

"Chase," she said. "It's gonna be alright."

"I- I can't do this forever."

"It's not gonna be forever-"

"But we don't know how long we're going to be here. And who knows what they'll do to us."

Spark took a deep breath, trying to be the strong one this time. "I know but they just want their information, right?"

* * *

As the boys stood in line to buy their papes, Helena took down notes for everything. According to Skittery, Spark and Chase were kidnapped not too far from the circulation building.

"You're late, Cowboy." Weasel sneered as Jack approached the counter.

"Oh, really? So sue me." He didn't have time for this.

"Someone's in a bad mood this mornin'." Weasel laughed his terrible laugh. Jack, uncharacteristically, just stood there and glared.

"Are you gonna take my money or what?"

"How many?"

Jack snatched a newspaper out of Morris's hand so quickly he didn't even have time to blink. The paper wasn't even ripped.

"Come on, there's a lot a' people waitin'."

Jack slapped a quarter on the table, making Spot, Mush, and the other newsies behind him jump. "Hundred papes."

Spot was next in line.

"Hundred." He grunted.

"Oh look, Morris," Oscar said as he counted Spot's papers. "Look what Conlon's wearin'. A locket."

"Never knew you was a pansy." Morris taunted.

Spot took out his cane and slammed it in the counter with a deafening sound. The Delanceys pulled back a little.

"It's my girl's." Said Spot as he slipped the cane back into his belt loop.

"Oh, yeah," Morris leered. "Ain't she that pretty little angel-faced blondie with the nice figure?"

Oscar whistled. "And a nice kisser she is too." He licked his lips.

Spot grabbed the bars with both hands, getting his face as close as he could.

"Yous are dead! Come out here and fight me like real men!"

"Gladly!" The Delanceys made for the door.

"Ah, boys." Said Weasel. "You know what happens if yous aren't in good behavior."

Spot smirked. "I heard the Refuge just opened up again."

After the strike, the Jacobs's brought up charges against the Delancey brothers for attacking Sarah, David, and Les. They didn't exactly have clean records to begin with so the judge ruled that they be sent to the Refuge. In the same week, however, the Refuge closed at Governor Roosevelt's request. He wanted to reopen it his way. The whole point of it was to help children get back on the right path.

The judge, instead, put the Delancey Brothers on probation so if they ever misbehaved again, they'd be sent to jail like promised.

Oscar slid the papers under the bars but not before Morris could spit on the top one.

"Thank you, so much." Spot took his papers and left, Chase had done a good job teaching him self control. Spot threw the ruined paper on the ground and joined his friends.

"Do you know where it's supposed to be?" Asked Mush, anxiously.

"I was told it will be on page nine, bottom left corner." Said Denton.

The boys sat down on the steps and flipped through their newspapers until they came to page nine.

"Are you sure it's gonna be in this edition?" Kid Blink looked up from his paper.

"That's what they told me."

"Well it's not here."

"What do you mean 'It's not here'?!" Helena exclaimed. She grabbed a paper from Racetrack, who had just gotten his stack, and scanned the page. Denton tossed Race a quarter.

Blink was right. Not once did it mention Chase and Spark. Where the ad should have been was an advertisement for the Phonograph, a new invention.

"I can't believe this." Helena leaned against the wall and closed her eyes. "Why would they omit our advertisement?"

"Pulitzer." Spot muttered . His whole body tensed with anger as he tried to keep from hurting some innocent bystander. Instead, he whispered curses under his breath, pacing the ground.

"What are we gonna do now?" Asked Skittery.

"I know exactly what we're gonna do." Jack walked out of the circulation gates to the doors of The World building. The others followed.

"You're going to talk to Pulitzer again?" Denton started writing in his notebook.

"This ain't no game." Jack opened both of the heavy wooden doors and entered the building.

"I'm comin'." Said Spot.

"Me, too." Mush declared.

Denton handed David a notepad and pen. "You should probably go too."

Jack walked passed the office boy's desk and stomped up the steps.

"You can't go up there without an appointment. Especially not you." The office boy said to Jack.

Spot pulled out his cane and glared with his piercing blue eyes . "You wanna repeat that for me?"

The office boy drew back, noticeably trembling. "N-no."

Jack and David lead the way up to Pulitzer's office. It was a very familiar scene. Without knocking or listening to hear what was going on in there, Jack barged in in the middle of Pulitzer's regular meetings with Mr. Seitz and Jonathon Pembermuffin and his other accountants.

Pulitzer was mildly surprised but he tried to hide it. "Who let you up here, boy?" He growled.

"Your office boy," Jack said.

"Ah ha..." Pulitzer said. "Jonathon, remind me to fire him."

"Yes, sir."

Pulitzer turned and looked out the window, pushing back the curtain .

"It's not a holiday," he turned back and sat back down in his chair . "And none of you appear to be sick or debilitated in any way."

The boys shared confused glances.

"Why aren't you boys out selling my paper?"

Jack started. "See, that's what we came here about, Joe-"

Spot couldn't keep his mouth shut anymore. He pushed himself to the front and got right in Pulitzer's face . "Why didn't The World print Denton's ad?" Spot seethed.

Jack pulled him back. "Will ya let me handle this one?" Spot reluctantly joined Mush and David behind Jack. "But my question is the same. Every big paper in New York printed the ad except for you. Why is that?" He stared Pulitzer down.

"What ad?" Pulitzer glanced at Pembermuffin.

"The one about the two missing newsgirls." He answered.

"Ah," Pulitzer nodded. "We ran out of space. That ad was submitted too late. How long until we have an opening, Jonathon?"

"The first week of February, sir."

"See, problem solved. Get back to work." Pulitzer turned back to his account books and Mr. Seitz opened the door behind them.

Jack pounded his fist on the desk. "No, Joe, the problem is not solved!"

David took a turn. "Are the lives of two girls less important than the phonograph?"

Pulitzer crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair, asserting his authority. "People in this city go missing all the time, that's hardly my responsibility." He answered. "You boys leave or I'm calling the police. I hear the Refuge has opened up again."

Spot glared at Joseph Pulitzer with a violent intensity. He really wished he could kill him with just a look. Any respect Spot had for rich old men like Pulitzer (the little that remained after the strike) went out the window. He silently vowed never to become so greedy and stubborn and practically evil. Chase would never let him, anyway. That is, if he ever got her back.

"Wait!" Said Mush, all of the sudden. "This _is_ your responsibility."

Pulitzer looked up from his book. "What did you say, boy?"

Jack allowed Mush to step forward. "One of the missing girls is my sister, Roselia Meyers. As I recall, you are our legal guardian when our parents died. You're supposed to be takin' care of us until we turn 18."

Pulitzer blinked.

"That's right, Joe." Mush smiled triumphantly. "We could take this to court. And who wouldn't listen to the children, especially after what you did to us back in July?" The strike.

Jack pat Mush on the back, praising his smart thinking.

"And you think you could win?" Pulitzer stood up again. "You don't know who you're messing with, boy."

"Yeah, we do, Joe." Said Jack. "You don't want a repeat of last summer, do ya?"

Pulitzer froze for a second. "You wouldn't-"

"Yeah, we would." Spot brought himself up to his full height, with even more fire in his blue eyes. "Especially now that we know how to do it right."

"Plus," said David. "We already have the governor on our side. You might have most of the power in this city but the state still belongs to Governor Roosevelt."

Mr. Seitz and Jonathon shared a nervous glance. They knew that if "The World" caused another uprising by the newsies the whole paper would be done for.

Pulitzer looked to each of the boys to see if one would crack. None of them did.

"Alright," said Pulitzer, finally. "You'll see it tomorrow. Page nine."

* * *

 **A/N: Ok, so now I can finally tell yous about "The Turn" which was my original title for this story. The story was going to be a crossover between "Newsies" and "The Prestige" (seriously if you haven't seen "The Prestige" you NEED to! It is one of my favorite movies of all time). There are a ton of reasons I chose this pairing. First, Christian Bale plays one of the leads (opposite Hugh Jackman, no less). Both movies take place at around the same time, there is even a flashback scene that takes place in 1899. As soon as I saw that I knew a story had to be written. If I'm not mistaken I think both "Newsies" and "The Prestige" were both filmed on the same set. You can see some familiar looking places in "The Prestige". Like I said before, I wanted to explore Chase and Jack's friendship. At the beginning of the story John Cutter (from "The Prestige") finds Jack and gives him a journal that's supposed to be from his father. The journal is in a code that Jack can't read. Chase sees the journal and recognizes it as a keyword cipher (used a lot in "The Prestige"), and she decides to translate it for Jack so he can find out about his father. I decided that I will release the chapters of "The Turn" that I still have as a bonus once this story is over. Next chapter I will reveal the original villain.**


	16. Chapter 16

"Hey, mister, you have to cheer up." said Helena as she and Skittery walked down Broadway.

He smiled a little. "I know, I know."

It was hard. Skittery felt so guilty. Even though he knew there was nothing he could do to get the girls back, he wished there was.

Helena grabbed Skittery's arm, causing him to twitch a little. "How many papers do you have left?"

Skittery flipped through his stack of papers. "Sixty-five, why?"

"You need to take a break."

"What? I can't-"

"Because you've already sold what, thirty-five? You need to rest."

"I can't do that," Skittery sighed. "The headline's awful. I wanna sell all my papes so I can afford dinner."

Shaking her head, Helena dragged Skittery over to a bench next to the sidewalk. "Is taking five minutes to breathe really going to mess up your whole day?"

He looked at her seriously. "Yes,"

"Ugh! You're not optimistic at all!" she smacked him on the shoulder.

"Why do you think Racetrack calls me 'Glum and Dumb'?"

Helena pushed him to sit. "How about I try selling some 'papes'. I bet I could sell five in less than ten minutes."

He laughed. "You're outta your mind."

"You don't think I could?"

"Honestly, I don't think you could sell one." Skittery smirked.

She grabbed five papers out of his hand. "Time me."

Helena opened to the first page, scanning it until she got to the middle. A slow smile spread across her face. She nodded, turning on her heel and practically skipping to the corner.

"EXTRA, EXTRA!" she called, waving the papers in the air. "WOMAN FROM NEWPORT DIES SUDDENLY!"

That caught the attention of some bystanders, two people bought newspapers.

"CAUSES UNKNOWN, AUTHORITIES STILL INVESTIGATING."

Three people stepped up to buy papers. When they weren't looking, Helena turned to stick her tongue out at Skittery.

"HOW WILL THIS AFFECT NEW YORK AND WHO WILL BE THE NEXT VICTIM OF THIS MYSTERIOUS CASE?"

Several more people came, asking for papers. Helena had them follow her to Skittery when she ran out. Once everyone left, Helena sat back down, crossing her arms.

"Ha! Eight papers sold."

Skittery laughed with her. "Wow, gotta admit, I underestimated you." Helena smirked in return. "What was the real headline, anyway?"

"Newport Woman Dies At 103."

"Huh, no one has to teach you how to improve the truth."

She handed him the money."Is that what you call it? I just embellished the story a little bit."

"Well, you were really good." Their eyes met for a brief second. Helena looked away blushing.

"Thanks, I guess it's because I'm a writer. I want people to be interested in what I have to say." Her deep, blue eyes lit up, Skittery could see she really loved the press. "There are so many untold stories, truths to be uncovered. Like what happened with your strike. Imagine what would have happened if reporters like my uncle didn't write about it."

"Pulitzer and Hearst probably woulda beaten us." That hit him hard. "Our world would be completely different."

"It could have been so much worse." Helena began to tear up, her voice wavered a little bit. "Which is why we have to get Chase and Spark's story in the papers. New York is so big, there are lots of problems. We have to make people care about them."

Skittery looked down at Helena. She really was concerned for their lives. All of their lives. She was different than any rich girl he had ever met. Even though she was wealthy, she knew what pain was. Skittery hadn't seen her like this before, though. Spark and Chase's disappearance must have affected her more than anyone realized. How long had she been keeping emotions like this bottled up?

He put his arm around her as an attempt to comfort her.

"Thanks," she sniffed. "I'm sorry, I just-"

"No, it's ok."

They sat like that for a while, Skittery with his arm around Helena as she cried. He didn't know what to say, and she didn't really want to talk anyway.

She looked up after a few minutes. "You should- you should sell the rest of your newspapers."

"Nah, you're right. Five minutes ain't gonna ruin my day."

Helena perked up a little. "Can we talk about something happy, I need a distraction."

"Ok..." Skittery didn't know what to say.

"Um... How do you guys get your names? Is there a reason for them, or do you just get named once you become a newsie?"

"Ah, good question." He thought back. "It depends on the newsie, really."

"Ok, so how did you get your name?"

Skittery blushed. "My name?" He didn't have an exciting story about his name. It was, in his opinion, pathetic. He was embarrassed, but it had been so many years he couldn't change it. "You really wanna know?"

"Yes," Helena looked even more eager to hear.

"Fine." he resigned. "I been a newsie since I was five, right? Well, I was a pretty shy kid, with my parents' sudden death and I was so young. I didn't like to talk or nothin'. Kloppman had me sell with other newsies so I could make money for food. The older boys who used to be at the lodging house named me because they said I always looked like a scared little mouse."

Helena giggled.

"Yeah, I know, it's embarassin'."

"No," she tried to stifle her laughter. "It's adorable."

* * *

Chase and Spark tried to sleep. Last night they were too shaken to rest. By now, they were completely exhausted. It was so hard, though. The basement was freezing. The girls would have huddled together if they weren't still tied to the bed frame.

Spark's hair was still wet from the morning, she shivered a lot. Her ankle hurt whenever she tried to move it. She wished she could take off her boot to take a look. She hoped it wasn't broken.

At around noon, they heard someone come down the steps. The two girls sat up and tried to look alert, expecting to see Shade or worse, the Delanceys.

It was Prima.

"Hi, girls." she simpered.

"What are you here for?" asked Chase, narrowing her eyes. "Shouldn't you be with your brother, planning Spot's demise?"

"No, silly," Her high-pitched laugh was annoying. "That's been planned for months."

"Oh," that was no more comforting.

Prima untied Spark and Chase's ropes.

"What are you here for, then?" Spark asked, rubbing her aching wrists.

Prima pulled a measuring tape l from her pocket. "Your measurements."

"What for, to see how much weight we lose?"

Prima laughed again. "It's not my fault you didn't eat your breakfast. I'm here to take measurements for the show."

Chase looked up. "Everyone keeps talking about a show, what show?"

Prima paused for a second. "Can't tell you."

Chase rolled her eyes. Prima liked making them wonder. It was like she took pleasure in their discomfort. A family trait.

"Yous better stretch, Shade doesn't wanna give ya's too much freedom."

Chase leapt up right away and shook off the stiffness in her arms and legs. Spark was a little slower to rise due to her ankle.

"Ahh!" she couldn't put too much weight on it.

"Spark!" Chase ran to help her friend.

Prima just stood back tapping her foot. "I don't have all day. I have to get these measurements to the tailor so they'll be ready in time."

Chase shot her a murderous look. "She is hurt!"

"Not my problem, but Shade is my problem. If I don't get these measurements in on time-" Prima's expression changed from haughty to anxious. It showed in the newsgirl's gray eyes.

"If you don't get them in on time, what?"

"Nothing. Just help Spark over here. She can lean on the printing press."

Chase put her arm around Spark and helped her cross the room. Spark did her best to limp along. As Prima measured, Chase took a look at Spark's ankle. She carefully pulled Spark's boot off and examined the injury. It was badly bruised. Spark's ankle bone was heavily outlined in purple and black, but it didn't appear to be broken. Chase ripped the sheet that covered the press and wrapped Spark's ankle tightly with the bandage.

"Thanks Chase," said Spark.

Prima wrote down Spark's last measurement. "Alright, Maddie, you're all set."

Spark's head shot up. "What did you just call me?"

Prima leaned against the press, crossing her arms. "You don't remember me, do you?"

Spark took a close look, deep in Prima's eyes. "Vivienne?"

* * *

 **A/N: "Newport Woman Dies at 103" was a real headline December 1899. I used to have the link but somehow I lost it... I think I may be a day or two off with the date (the only record I can find for this headline is December 31) I'll fix this eventually but please forgive my non-accurate reporting.**

 **Anyway I said I would talk about "The Turn"'s original villain. In "The Prestige" there is some drama involving Nikola Tesla (one of my favorite science people!) and Thomas Edison. Edison was stealing Tesla's inventions and passing them off as his own (based on the whole "War of Currents" which was a very real historical event). Before I created Shade and Prima, Thomas Edison's son, Thomas Alba Edison Jr. was the villain. He was 23 in 1899 and I thought making a young, charismatic, but intimidating villain would be fun. When I scrapped "The Turn" Shade and Prima were created. A lot of Edison's charisma stayed with Shade but at the same time Shade brought his own quirks.**

* * *

Spark gaped at Prima. "I thought you were-"

"You thought I was what?"

"Dead."

Chase stepped in between the two girls. "Wait, how do you know each other?"

"Oh," said Prima. "Me and Maddie go way back."

Spark was still in shock. "She was one of our newsies before-"

"Before Spot became a murderer." Prima seethed.

The other two girls jumped back at Prima's sudden anger, which she was directing toward Chase.

"Spot isn't a murderer." said Chase. "He would never-"

"But he has."

Chase looked from Prima to Spark. "What do you mean?"

Prima sat back and waited for Spark to speak. Spark took a deep breath before beginning. "Spot did kill one person."

"Two people." Prima corrected. Her voice was still bitter.

"No," Spark said. "No matter what the rumors say, Spot only killed one person. And you and I both know that was an accident."

Chase felt dizzy. He was known to threaten, but to her knowledge Spot hadn't ever acted on it. No one had ever told her this before. Not even Spot. "Why?"

* * *

Alexander was always a quiet child. He rarely spoke. Coming from such a loud family, he almost never got a word in anyway. He tended to disappear into the background. He was pushed even farther into the background when he was four years old. His mother gave birth to twins, a boy and a girl named Michael and Vivienne. It made him a great listener.

"Keep an eye on that one," His grandfather would say. "He has his secrets."

Alexander's parents were Vaudeville performers, they mainly lived in Brooklyn, but they never officially settled down anywhere. He practically grew up on the stage. Although he was very quiet, Alex was a great performer as well. He was more comfortable in front of an audience than his own family and were a poor family, steady jobs in the entertainment business were hard to come by. They managed what they could. Alexander's father got him a job as a newsboy, selling the New York World. It brought them extra money, and his mother hoped the socialization would bring him out of his near perpetual silence. But Alex still preferred the stage.

When Alex was 11 years old, his parents finally found a steady job at Coney Island. Unfortunately, the owners didn't want children in their show. Vivienne, Michael, and especially Alexander were heartbroken. They always hoped one day their whole family could perform together.

"One day," Their mother promised.

So the three of them were forced to continue selling newspapers. Their favorite spot was outside Coney Island, so they could wait for their parents to leave work. Every time their parents came up with a new act, the three children would sneak into the park to see. That was as close as they could get to the Coney Island stage.

Alex's parents were a huge success. A few years later, they were recruited by a traveling Vaudeville company. The money was too good to pass up. But again, children were not allowed. It took a lot of thinking but Alexander's parents did decide to take the job. They wanted their children to have a better life.

Alexander didn't understand, though. It wasn't fair that he had to live with his grandparents while his mother and father traveled. It wasn't fair that he had to take care of the twins. And it wasn't fair that he was still stuck selling newspapers.

Alex wanted to disappear. To become someone else. He liked performing because he could be anyone but himself. He was too quiet and reserved. Always a wallflower. Always invisible And what was that getting him? Nothing. So he became someone else. His "friends" had given him a nickname. He hadn't cared for it. They had decided to call him Myth because he was so quiet they wondered if he was actually there. And that's what he became, a shadow of his old self, and a darker one at that.

Myth spent most of his time out, away from his grandparents and siblings. He traveled in different circles, moving up in the newsies' world. He got into gambling, drinking, smoking, he wasn't opposed to trying anything. Well known throughout the city, he became one of the toughest and dirtiest fighters. All the girls loved him and most of the guys were afraid of him. He built up quite an entourage, his own gang within Brooklyn. There was one guy he couldn't get on his side, and it was his best friend: Brooks.

"You're gettin' too violent," Brooks said. "Kids shouldn't be fightin' each other. You can't let them."

"It's good for them. They gotta see how it's like in the real world." Myth rationalized. "Plus, you gotta admit it's fun to see those little brats goin' at it." he laughed.

"No, sorry. I can't. I got a whole city to think about here." It hurt Brooks that he and Myth were drifting apart. They had been through a lot together. "And what about your little brother and sister, you want them to deal with all this?"

"I'm tellin' ya, it's good for them."

"They're still young. It's dangerous out there. Your little sister needs you. Your brother can take care of himself, but Vivienne, she needs someone to watch over her. Imagine if something were to happen."

Myth shrugged. "That's life, ain't it?"

Brooks stared at Myth for a long while. "You're insane."

"What did you just call me?"

"You're crazy! Go ahead, steer Michael down your path, but I won't let yous ruin Vivienne's life so you can have your fun."

Myth faced Brooks so they were exactly eye level. His dark eyes were dead, but his rage was heard in his words. "You better hope you never run into me again." And with that, Myth disappeared, taking Michael with him.

Brooks sent Vivienne to the girls' lodging house. There was always a chance Myth and Michael might return if she stayed with her grandparents. They didn't care whether she was there or not, she was just another mouth to feed. Spot Conlon, Brooks's second-in-command, kept an eye on her. They became pretty good friends in the short time she spent with his gang.

It was a quiet six months for Brooks, Spot, and Vivienne. No one expected the storm to return so soon. Myth had spent his time gathering even more followers. All of the kids who didn't feel accepted by Brooks or his friends joined Myth. They were ready to fight. It was their turn to live like the king.

Myth met Brooks in front of Prospect Park.

"Hey'ya Brooksy," Myth smirked. "Ya miss me?"

Brooks looked up from his paper when he heard Myth's voice, sadness in his eyes. "Honestly? Yeah, I did." He missed the old Myth.

"Huh," Myth wasn't expecting that response. He tried not to let it show. " Here's my last offer. Join and it'll be just like old times. Myth and Brooks: Kings of Kings County."

Brooks sighed. Myth hadn't changed. "Not the way you're runnin' things."

Myth shook his head, pushed up his sleeves and pulled a gold handled cane from his belt-loop. "Then I guess we're gonna have to fight for it. Whoever lives gets Brooklyn."

Brooks put his hands up, trying to stop his former friend. "Look, we don't have to do this. Why don't-"

Myth had already taken a swing at Brooks, knocking the wind out of him. He clutched his stomach. Brooks's eyes filled with tears. Not because of the hit, Brooks had been fighting most of his life. He just didn't want it to come to this, fighting with his best friend. But there were the kids to think about. He had to protect his city.

Brooks straightened his back and got into a fighting position and the brawl began.

Spot heard the commotion from down the street. He had just walked Vivienne home. The sounds of the fight echoed down Washington Avenue. He ran toward it, thinking it could be the sounds of a good headline for tomorrow. Spot froze when he saw the fight. Brooks lay on the ground, covered in blood and bruises, as Myth beat him with a cane. Several newsies stood by and watched.

Spot had to do something! As Myth pulled back his cane to hit Brooks again, he grabbed the handle and snatched it right out of Myth's hands.

"Wrong move, Dot." said Myth. Spot was so small, he could easily get him out of the way and finish off Brooks.

Spot thought fast. Myth lunged at him, but he stood firm. Myth had made one crucial mistake. Spot gave him a shove, which may not have done anything if Myth's position was not weak. The older newsie fell back, hitting his head on the curb. The blood began to pool soon after. The other newsies fled the scene when ambulance bells were heard.

Brooks and Myth didn't make it through the night. It was only a matter of time before news was spread throughout the whole city. Spot Conlon became a legend over night.

* * *

Chase stared straight ahead, letting the story sink in.

"See," Prima said. "Your beloved Spot ain't the valiant king you make him out to be."

"Prima!" Spark exclaimed. "You know it was an accident!"

Prima slammed her fist into the printing press."How do you know, were you there?"

"No, but-"

"Who told you about it, then?"

"Spot did." Spark admitted. "But you weren't there neither. Who told you?"

"Shade, he was there."

"And you don't think he coulda lied?"

Prima put her hands over her ears. "Stop it! Stop it! You're wrong, dead wrong!"

The loud shouting brought Chase back. She spoke calmly as tears filled the corners of her eyes. "I know Spot, and it sounds like you did too." She put a hand on Prima's shoulder. "You and I both know he's not a murderer."

The two girls made eye contact for a brief second before Prima broke it.

"Liars!" she screamed, running up the steps and slamming the door behind her.


	17. Chapter 17

Vivienne had tried to forget all about Spot Conlon. As far as she was concerned the night that her older brother died, Spot had died as well. But his memory wouldn't fade. Even young love doesn't die so easily.

Much like her older brother, Vivienne was always a shy little girl. Onstage was when she really came alive. When Vivienne wasn't allowed to perform with her parents she was very upset and she didn't like living with her grandparents. She missed her mama terribly. Her only consolation was that she always had a home with the Brooklyn newsies. She loved being surrounded by people who cared for one another. The newsies would do anything to keep one of their own safe, even if it meant sharing their meager dinners or helping them sell their papes. Brooks's newsies were her family when her parents went on the road.

But although she found great comfort in watching the Brooklyn newsies, Vivienne still separated herself from the others. Michael was the only person she felt she could truly trust with her deepest secrets. She clung to her twin brother for comfort as they sold the "New York World" on the streets day after day. Vivienne and Michael did everything together; he was her built-in friend. They didn't even need to speak to each other to know what the other was thinking. Vivienne just had to hold Michael's hand and she knew everything she needed.

Spot came into the picture when Vivienne was about 10 years old, after the tragic death of his parents. Brooks had taken him as his right hand man, just under Myth. It was a position that Michael envied.

"These is the twins," said Brooks. "Michael and Vivienne. Theys Myth's little brother and sister."

"Nice to meet yous," Spot extended his hand. He gave a half smile.

"Hey," Michael said crossing his arms. He looked Spot up and down and then he turned and walked away.

"Well," Brooks said. "He must be in a bad mood. I'll go see what's a matter. Yous two just get acquainted."

Spot and Vivienne stood there in a painful silence for a minute. Vivienne looked down, she didn't know what to say.

"So your name is Vivienne?" Spot asked after a while. "That's a nice name."

"Oh-Th-thank you." Vivienne stammered. Spot's kind smile calmed her a little. "What's your first name i-if you don't mind me asking?" All of the Brooklyn newsies had nicknames except for Vivienne and Michael. They were just referred to as "The Twins". Vivienne liked to find out the kids' real names though.

"I, uh, I don't remember my first name." Spot said bashfully.

"Really?"

"Everyone's been callin' me 'Spot' for as long as I can remember." he said.

"Oh,"

"You know," said Spot. "I never saw twins before today. Must be fun havin' a brother that's your age. I don't have any brothers or sisters. It was just me and mom and dad..." As he trailed off Spot grabbed at the key that hung on a string around his neck.

"I miss my mom and dad too," Vivienne said quietly.

"You an orphan too?" Spot asked.

"No," she said. "My parents are traveling vaudeville performers." Vivienne felt bad talking about her parents around Spot who had just lost his.

"That sounds like a fun job," Spot smiled warmly. "I bet theys get to do all kinds of interesting stuff."

"Yeah," said Vivienne. "They get to dance and sing and they work with all sorts of people..."

Spot and Vivienne walked off together as she told him stories of her parents' adventures.

Vivienne and Spot became fast friends. He was the first person (besides Michael) who had seen her as 'Vivienne' and not just one of "The Twins". This sullen boy with his piercing blue eyes fascinated her. Around Vivienne he smiled and played.

One day as the two were selling their papes together, Vivienne grabbed onto a park bench and began to stretch. She extended her arms and bent her knees as she closed her eyes and hummed a tune.

"What are you doin'?" Spot laughed when he saw her.

"I'm practicing." She said without breaking concentration.

"For what?"

Vivienne opened her eyes. "Ballet."

Spot cocked his head. "What's that?"

"You don't know?"

Spot shook his head, embarrassed that there was something he didn't know. Spot was quite prideful.

"Ballet is a kind of dance," Vivienne began. "I wanna be a prima ballerina when I grow up."

"What's-"

"It's a ballet dancer..." Vivienne had a lot to teach Spot.

Spot was silent for a moment. "So Miss Prima Ballerina, what do ya gotta do so you can be a ballet dancer?"

"You have to practice every day."

"What do you do for that?"

"This is a plié," Vivienne said bending her knees once more.

"I see..."

The closer Vivienne and Spot got, the more Michael distanced himself. He spent more time with his older brother, Myth and his friends. It wasn't long before Michael earned his own nickname. The boys called him "Shade" because he followed Myth around like a shadow. "The Twins" were no longer. From then on they were two separate kids, Shade and Prima. When Myth and Shade left Brooks's newsies, Vivienne left her grandparents' home and moved to the Brooklyn girls' lodging house. Spot was there to comfort her in her time of need.

For two years Prima was happy. She had even made friends with some of the newsgirls, Spark and Story Masi, to name a few. She had taken chances and she was beginning to break out of her shell.

For Vivienne, the feelings of friendship towards Spot gradually blossomed into something more. When he was around she didn't even miss her brothers or her parents. She knew she was going to love Spot Conlon until the day she died.

* * *

Denton wanted to make sure the events of the previous night were still fresh in the boys' minds. For the sake of the case, even though they knew exactly where every single one of the Manhattan boys were that night, they had to interview everyone. After interviewing David and Story, Denton sent them off to Brooklyn to interview Spot's newsies as well. Denton paid the two of them $5 each to make up for the papers they would not be able to sell that day. They protested, saying it was unlikely that they would make more than a dollar, but Denton insisted.

"...She can't stand it when he gets all controlling. Neither a' them like followin' authority. Ever." Said Mush.

"Mhmm..." Denton twirled his pen in his fingers.

"I keep expecting them to jump out of the bushes and tell me it's all a joke. B-but I know it's not."

Helena gripped her pen hard. These interviews were difficult. Especially seeing these boys, the tough newsies that they were, in such a vulnerable state. Mush was one of the hardest to see upset because he was so sweet. She found herself holding back tears.

"Alright, Mush. I think that's good for one day." Denton said. "You need a minute?"

"Yeah," Mush rose slowly, trying to wipe the tears away. He stifled his sobs as best as he could but some were just too strong.

Helena just jumped up and threw her arms around his neck, hugging him as tightly as she could. They stayed like that for a few minutes with each other's tears soaking into their clothing.

"Thanks for that." Mush sniffed, managing a small smile. He picked up his papers and went deeper into Central Park as he called out the headlines.

Helena watched his back for a while, until he was out of view. Chase and Mush had told her their story: Chase was orphaned at four years old and her only relatives were Mush's parents. So they adopted her. And four years later, just when they were feeling like a real family again, their parents died in a terrible accident and they were put into the care or Mr. Myers's employer: Joseph Pulitzer. He sent Roselia to a boarding school in Brooklyn and Nicholas was handed over to the nuns who took him to the lodging house. Mush was finally reunited with her during the strike over the summer. And now she was gone again.

"Uncle, I can't do this anymore. Maybe I shouldn't be a reporter." It was too much for her. Helena got attached to people and she couldn't stand to see them hurt.

"Don't tell yourself that." Said Denton. "This is not a regular article, this is an investigative report. I haven't gotten a story like this in years. You're doing great as it is."

"Do you really mean that?"

"Do you think I would lie about something like this?"

Helena sighed. No he wouldn't. "Who do we still have to interview?"

Denton thought for a second. "I think we have one more, Spot."

Helena's stomach growled rather loudly. "Good, I'm hungry."

Her uncle checked his pocket watch. "How about I go down the street and pick up something for dinner while you wait for Spot."

"Ok,"

Since he'd been staying in Manhattan, Spot had stayed out later. He was one of the last ones home for the past few nights.

True to form, Spot walked up to the lodging house just as the sun sank below the horizon. Only Racetrack hadn't returned yet.

"Hey, Helena," He stretched and sat down next to her, it had been a long and tiring day. "What are you doin' here?"

"I'm here every night, Spot." Helena yawned. It had been a long day for everyone.

"Well, I meant, why aren't you in Brooklyn?"

She raised an eyebrow. "I could ask you the same question."

"Alright, you got me." Helena could see the faintest trace of a smile cross Spot's face. The smile left as quickly as it had come. "I can't go back there now."

"But Brooklyn's your kingdom. The 'borough that gave you birth', like you say."

"But she's everywhere." Spot put his face in his hands to try to keep himself from crying. "Even though the music is gone, I can still hear it in my head. I remember every moment I've had with her in the past three years and it is killing me."

Helena put her arm around him as he shivered.

"Spot,"

"What?" He wanted his alone time now, so he could tear down the facade for a few moments of peace.

"I know she's not gone like you think."

He looked up. "How do you know?" He said hopelessly.

Helena cracked a small smile. "You know she wouldn't go down without a fight."

"No, but-"

"Trust me, she's stronger than you think."

"I-"

"I know what you're thinking, Spot. No one blames you for this. It's not your fault."

"I'm the king, everything is my fault." His tone sounded resigned. "It's ok, I'm used to it."

There were no other words exchanged until Denton showed up a few minutes later. And then it was all about the interview.

"The girls called at what time?" Denton studied the king of Brooklyn's face as he asked the question.

"It was 8 o'clock at night."

Helena wrote as fast as she could, every moment and gesture immortalized in ink.

"And did any of the girls say or do anything out of the ordinary?"

Spot thought for a second. "No... Chase was the same as always. Lots of sass." Denton, Helena, and Spot all smiled at that comment. "She called 'cause she and Spark and Story wanted to come here, to Manhattan."

"And you wouldn't let them go by themselves?" asked Helena.

"'Course not, you crazy?"

Helena looked up from her notepad, slightly taken aback.

"Sorry," Spot looked down again. "I didn't want them goin' alone, 'cause of all a' the weird stuff goin' on. People bein' followed and all that."

"You said that at the meeting a few days ago," Denton nodded. "So, why did you choose Skittery?"

Spot bit his lip. The more he thought about the answer, the more blame he put on himself. "Well, Jack was asleep, and Mush didn't want to go, and Racetrack said he would only go if he could have a date with Chase... A-and they called right in the middle of my poker game. I got so mad. S-so I sent someone they both didn't like... I didn't think it would cost them their safety." It took a lot for Spot to keep himself from crying. He never used to be like this.

"Do you have any idea who these people could be, the ones who kidnapped the girls?"

"No, I been rackin' my brain, tryin' to figure this out."

"What about these oddities that have been happening around the girls," Helena said."Have you noticed any connections?"

Spot closed his eyes and thought back. There was that one guy who bought papes from the girls twice. And then there was the guy at the Christmas party. Other than that, they were just being followed. _Wait,_ Spot thought. There was that incident with Boots near Hallowe'en. Racetrack said he called himself a shadow and he had unusually dark hair...

"I gotta go." Spot jumped up.


	18. Chapter 18

Spot ran back to Brooklyn as fast as he could. He didn't even notice how cold it was getting. Or that it began to rain. When Spot burst through the door at the Brooklyn boys' lodging house, he was soaked and his hair hung over his eyes in icy strands.

"Spot," David was there with Story, interviewing Spot's guys. "What's going on?"

"H-h-hold on." The cold hit him all at once. Spot crossed the room and knelt at the small fire to warm himself up. Story and David looked at him expectantly.

Just then, the door opened again and three other soaking wet boys entered. It was Ruse, Charmer, and Rake. They were in charge of things when Spot or Chase weren't around. They were best friends, but no three boys could be any more different. Rake was of Chinese descent, or at least he was pretty sure that's where he came from. Since the strike there had been much speculation that Rake and Swifty, from Manhattan, could be brothers. Neither of them remembered their childhoods and they both looked very similar (and they were both known to be thieves). Ruse was known for his dark auburn hair that shown a glimmer of cherry red in the sun. He was also known to be able to talk his way out of any situation. He was a quick thinker, able to come up with a lie without even taking time to blink. All three boys were favorites among the ladies, but Charmer easily had the most after him. He had the whole package: the blonde hair, the blue eyes, the charming smile (which is where his name came from). They were the oldest at the lodging house. Older than Spot, even.

"Hey, fellas," said Story. "Where yous been?"

"Walkin' Katrina and Ellie home." Rake answered as he hung his coat on an empty hook.

"What for?"

Charmer shook out his golden hair. "There was a little trouble, but don't worry. They're safe at home now."

Spot's eyes widened, he struggled to stop shivering. "W-what k-kind a' t-trouble?"

"Nothin' too serious, just really weird." said Ruse. "Some guys pulled 'em into an alley, askin' all kinds a' questions. But we took-"

Spot stopped him with his hand. "What did the guys look like?"

"Really dark hair and-"

"I knew it!" Spot closed his eyes. It what he thought was true, this could be bad. "Yous remember Myth's guys?" Charmer, Rake, and Ruse been newsies since Brooks was the king.

"Yeah," said Rake. "The 'Shadows', right? Weird bunch. Colored their hair black with shoe polish and followed Myth around, causin' all sorts a' trouble in this city."

David and Story glanced at each other, realizing this could be important. The two of them started taking down notes.

"Wait," David looked up from his notebook. "Who's Myth?"

"Leader of the Coney Island newsies." Story said. "He was awful." she shuddered a little and grabbed David's arm.

"There are Coney Island newsies?"

"They were a rival gang here in Brooklyn, but not anymore," Ruse answered. "Myth is dead."

"Might not be entirely true," said Spot.

The room went silent and everyone stared at Spot, who was preoccupied, tracing the faded pattern on the hearth rug as he thought about what his next move would be.

"But," Charmer was the first to break the silence. "That can't be possible. Myth has been dead for four years. I saw you-"

"But where did Myth's guys go after that, huh?" Spot asked.

"They disappeared."

"More like went into hidin'."

Story jumped. "What?!"

The noise level in the room rose significantly.

Spot stood up. "HEY!" he banged his cane on the ground. "SHUT UP!" they quieted. "It's just a theory. I hope it's not true."

It made Spot sick to think Myth's guys were most likely behind the girls' disappearance. He had to sit down on the couch and close his eyes before anyone noticed how dizzy and vulnerable he was.

David, Story, Ruse, Charmer, and Rake followed him.

"I don't understand this guy Myth, and how he is important." David said.

Story touched Spot's arm. "Are you thinkin' they might have somethin' to do with Chase and Spark's kidnappin'?"

Spot nodded gravely. He held onto Chase's locket. He wasn't in the mood to talk anymore. He had already done enough of that with Helena and Denton. But he knew it could only help the case. Since he was Brooks's second-in-command, he would be their best bet for information on Myth.

"Myth was bad as they come," Spot started. "He used to be part of our newsies,"

"When Brooks was king," Story interjected. David, being a newer newsboy, wouldn't know about the politics in the newsies' world.

"Yeah," validated Spot. "Actually the two a' them were best friends, like you and Jack." David nodded as he wrote. "Then somethin' changed."

"What do you mean?" David asked.

"Brooks was all about keepin' the city together. Ya know, peace, harmony, brotherly love and all that. Myth liked watchin' fights and bettin' on who would win and other... let's say ruthless things."

"Oh..."

"So those two grew apart and Myth started his own gang, full of outsiders. And they tried to take over."

"I remember that," Rake said, then he lowered his voice. "You gonna tell them your part?"

"Yeah," said Spot. "Story already knows, and it's not like it's some big secret anyway."

Spot explained how he had become king, and how that was linked to Brooks and Myth's deaths. He also mentioned Vivienne, Myth's sister, who had been one of his best friends for a short time until she disappeared like Myth's boys.

"Did you get arrested?" David spoke as he wrote. "I-I mean I know it was only an accident but-"

"No, I wasn't arrested." Spot said. "There was only one officer on post near the park and he saw the whole thing. Said he was proud a' me for standin' up to Myth like that, and it was better he was gone. That didn't stop reporters from twistin' the story, but hey, that's the newspaper biz for ya."

It worked out for Spot because no one else would dare defy him after that. And all the newsies on Brooks's side knew the throne was meant for him. There wasn't anyone else fit for the role.

"So you think Myth's guys is back?" Ruse asked.

Spot shook his head, still confused himself. "I don't know. I mean, there's no way any a' them could lead themselves- unless..."

David furrowed his brow. "Unless what?"

"Myth had a second...Yeah," He remembered. "His little brother, Shade."

"That little quiet one?" Charmer scoffed. "He couldn't lead Myth's guys."

Spot shrugged. "It's been four years. Look how far we've all come."

They the boys (minus David) and Story had to agree. Since Brooks's death, the Brooklyn newsies had thrived. Spot had more connections throughout the whole of New York than any other Brooklyn leader before him, mostly due to Jack Kelly and the strike, but he would never admit that.

"Spot," Story said as she grabbed David's hand, clearly frightened by the whole situation. "If Myth's brother, Shade, has Spark and Chase- If he's anything like Myth..."

Spot bit his lip."This is really bad."

* * *

 **A/N: Fun fact, Story's name was originally going to be Ruse because of her red hair (like the French word rousse) and because she was so good at making up stories (or lies, like the word, ruse). I decided I liked Story better so when it came time to name some of Spot's Brooklyn boys I named one Ruse and gave him auburn hair as a callback to Story's old name. Rake comes from "Swifty the Rake" (Swifty's full name) and I just wanted them to be related since their names come from the same place... For some reason I write characters in threes so Charmer (I think he was actually the first one I named) had to be a part of things. I liked the idea of having a handsome Prince Charming type with the Brooklyn newsies. He was actually going to be called "Charming" but I felt like that one was a bit too obvious. These three are based on the older newsies the girls dance with in "Five Thousand Reasons..." I wish I wrote more about these boys because they're my first boy newsies I created.**

 **Oh, and the whole "coloring their hair with shoe polish" thing came from Elvis Presley. Elvis was naturally blond (note I'm using the masculine form of the word here...) and there is a rumor that in the beginning he colored his hair with shoe polish (I remember a girl did a report on him when I was in 5th grade and she had read that in high school while he was playing football in the rain the shoe polish started dripping down his face. I don't know if this is true because I can't find any more info about it but it's a cool story). I wanted Shade/Myth's guys to have something that made them stand out against the rest of the newsies. Since Myth and Shade both have dark hair I figured their (weird) followers would want to pay tribute to that. Plus they're called "Shadows" for a reason. Everything about them is dark and mysterious.**

* * *

"I can't believe it- actually I can," fumed Spark. "Shade lied to his sister so she would work for him. That's exactly somethin' he would do."

"And she believes him." Chase hid her face in her hands. It seemed that Prima was on board with Shade's plans. And Chase was afraid. It didn't matter what they were going to do to her though, because their whole plan was to take Brooklyn and kill Spot.

Spark rubbed Chase's back for comfort. "I don't understand what changed with her. Soot and Vivienne, the two a' them were close friends."

Chase sat up, raising an eyebrow. "How close?"

"Not as close as the two a' yous," Spark reassured her. "But she was probably the first girl he ever paid any attention, at least since bein' a newsie. And he must have forgotten about her pretty quick after becomin' king because you showed up a year later."

"Oh, ok," She felt a little better knowing Spot didn't have as many girls as were rumored. She was never sure. It always worried her that this would be a short romance and he would get bored of her. She decided to change the subject to keep herself from thinking about her situation any further. "How is your ankle?"

"It's been better."

Chase rolled her eyes. "I mean really, how is it?"

"Doesn't hurt if I don't move it."

"Well it's a good thing we're stuck down here for who knows how long-"

She stopped at the sound of footsteps coming down the stairs. The girls strained to see in the ever-darkening room. The sun was almost set.

"Evenin' ladies," Shade switched the single light on. The Delanceys and Prima weren't too far behind him. "How was your day?"

"Cold," said Spark, hatefully.

"Good."

The girls both glared at him, to which he smiled.

"Rosie,"

"Don't call me that." she spat.

"Fine, Chase," he said. "Are you ready to tell me what I asked last night?"

"Like I have a choice."

"Only if you don't value the lives of your friends."

"Haha," she laughed sarcastically, standing up.

Shade smirked, but then he stopped. "Prima, why aren't the girls tied up?"

Prima was busy looking through a women's magazine, not even looking up to answer. "Guess I forgot."

Shade flinched at this casual answer, but he turned back to Chase and led her to a closet on the other side of the room, shutting the door behind them.

"Ok," Chase crossed her arms. "Before I tell you, I need to know what you're planning on doing with this information. I have my city to think about."

Shade laughed. "You sound just like Brooks."

"And that's funny because...?"

"Well, you know what happened to him, right?"

"Yeah, same thing that happened to Myth." Chase smiled smugly.

"Alright, Chase," He gripped her shoulder tightly. Anger flashed in his eyes but he kept it under control. "I'm gonna let that one slide."

"Why bother?"

Shade grit his teeth, tired of her defiance. "Because I am." He took a step forward so she was trapped between him and the wall "I understand, you're playing 'mommy' to all those little brats. How cute."

"Yeah, so?" she shrugged off Shade's grip. "I'm not going to talk until you promise no one will get hurt."

"Can't promise that, but you won't have anyone's blood on your hands if you do."

Chase stared at him, narrowing her eyes. Her choices were clear. If there was a way out of this, she couldn't see it. The lives of the Brooklyn kids and her friends and family were too valuable to gamble with.

"Listen because I'm only going to tell you once."

* * *

When the closet door opened, Spark sat up straight. She looked from Chase to Shade to see if anything other than what was discussed happened.

Chase sat down on the bed.

"He didn't try anything, right?" Spark whispered.

"Ha," Shade overheard. "Like I would with her."

The Delancey brothers laughed with him. Prima looked up from her magazine for a second. In the darkness, the girls could see sympathy in her eyes for the briefest moment, until the laughter stopped.

"Alright ladies, let's get to work." Shade offered Chase and Spark his hands.

"Work?" Spark stood up, holding onto Chase's arm so he wouldn't see he was hurt.

"Advertisin' for our little show." The Delanceys pulled the sheet off of the printing press.

Shade had the girls up all night working the press, which was more dangerous than they had expected. Spark and Chase had a new sense of compassion for the guys who worked the press upstairs. There had been several near-misses throughout the night. Spark got her sleeve caught in the platen, almost pulling her in. She had to fight not to cry, a machine like this could cripple her for life. They printed thousands of copies. Chase prayed that Spot or her brother, or even Jack or David, would recognize where the papers came from.

"Time to deliver these." Shade said, tying up the last bundle when they had finished printing.

"You're gonna make us go out there now?" Spark yawned, which hid her irritation.

"Nope, too much of a risk yous two might escape." He handed bundles of papers to Oscar, Morris, and Prima. "'Night, ladies."

* * *

December 30, 1899

Spot wasn't planning on returning to Manhattan the next day. He had to face his city sometime. But it was, at this time, (although it's cliche to say) that he wondered how he had lived without Chase. He missed her so much.

But when Spot woke up in the morning, there was a paper taped to the lodging house window, which was not there when he went to bed the night before. He had a glimmer (the slightest) of hope that it could be from Chase. They left each other messages all the time.

It wasn't from Chase.

"CHARMER, RAKE, RUSE! YOUS IN CHARGE AGAIN!"

Before they had the chance to answer, Spot was out the window and down the fire escape.

On his way to Manhattan, he stopped by the girls' lodging house. Spot skipped the front door and went up to the window. There was a paper taped to theirs as well. He knocked loudly but no one answered.

"Come on, Story!" He peered through the frosty window, using his breath to melt the ice. The girls were still asleep. He knocked again, but still no answer.

There was one more thing he could do, Spot didn't hesitate. He pushed up on the window with all of his strength, hoping it was open. It opened just barely enough for him to slide through. The 'thump' sound Spot made hitting the floor caused several girls to wake up screaming.

"Hey, it's ok, it's just Spot Conlon." he said, heading to where Story slept.

"Story, Story, Story, Story, Story, Story, Story, Story! You gotta wake up!" He nudged her shoulder.

"Huh?" Story sat up, bleary eyed. "Spot what are ya doin' here?"

He shoved the paper into her hand. "Read it."

Her eyes widened as she scanned the page. "We gotta talk to the others!"

Story leapt out of bed and dressed in the girls' closet. Spot waited by the window impatiently.

"I have to go to Manhattan again," Story addressed all the girls. "Rake, Ruse, and Charmer is in charge of all of yous. And do not stray from your spots."

* * *

 **A/N: Once again Pulitzer's press is being used without his permission. He should really just lock it up someplace no one can find it. It's not like it's in use for normal newspaper business anyway... Also, I should have addressed this when I introduced Myth. If you're familiar with "Five Thousand Reasons" (and I hope you are or a lot of this story and the characters wouldn't make sense) you'll recognize some of Brooks and Spot's fight scene. The idea for Myth came waaay after I finished "Five Thousand Reasons..." when I was trying to convert "The Turn" into "New York Underworld". The newsie who killed Brooks was originally just a nameless, faceless character in the beginning. Just a way to make Spot the king of Brooklyn. When I was beginning to write "Underworld" (after the loss of Thomas Edison Jr. from "The Turn") I decided to expand on this Brooklyn newsie. Certain things like freak shows and magic were already present in "The Turn" so I decided to keep that in, making Myth a Coney Island newsie, which really is part of Brooklyn (as evidence in "Carryin' the Banner" from the "Newsies" musical). I remember researching forever to pick out the perfect name. I couldn't use Shade or Shadow (for obvious reasons) so I tried to find something that would work with the theme. Myth was the best choice and I really think it suits him.**


	19. Chapter 19

"Hey! Everybody just calm down," said Jack. "We'll figure this out."

"Could you just read it again?" Mush asked.

Jack held the paper up to the light as he read the advertisement for the fifth time that morning. "Coney Island's very own 'Children of Darkness' at Irving Hall December, 31 starting at 7:00 P.M. Welcome the new century with magic and mystery, a night you'll never forget."

Everyone looked up at the sound of the door opening. Helena and Denton entered.

"Hey," Jack said.

Helena held up the paper that she had found taped to her window in the morning. "Did you-?"

"Yeah," he nodded. "This is really odd. I mean, Medda never just rents her theatre out to anyone."

"So this isn't a regular thing?" she asked.

"No,"

Helena turned to her uncle.

"I'm thinking this is another clue." he said, folding the ad and slipping it in his notebook.

The door opened again with a burst of cold air and snowflakes. Spot and Story were completely out of breath when they came inside.

"You ok?" David took Story's arm.

She shook her head.

"Jack," Spot pushed himself to the front of the group. "You gotta see this."

"I know, I got one too."

"No, you don't understand. You have to see this one." Spot handed Jack the advertisement. On the front, it was exactly the same one Jack found at the lodging house, but there was a note written in jagged, messy writing on the back.

Jack read out loud. "You have two choices, Brooklyn. You either come to the show or you don't come to the show. I got a little surprise for you, and if you don't you'll never see your girls again. Choose carefully. Chase and Spark are just dying to see you, don't be late. _Love_ , Shade."

It was quiet for a while as they all let this new information sink in. No one even whispered.

"A-alright guys, just hold on a second. We gotta think this through. Go get your papes and start sellin'. We'll get a late start." Jack had Mush, Spot, and David follow him upstairs. Denton came as well.

"Come on, guys." said Racetrack, appointing himself temporary leader. "Yous heard Cowboy."

Skittery was the last one to leave the lodging house, by choice this time. He just wanted a moment to breathe alone. The girls weren't dead, yet. But they were still gone, and there was a chance that Shade might kill them, due to the nature of his note.

"Skittery?" He jumped, not realizing Helena was still there. "Do you want to talk?"

He shook his head.

"Ok," she wrapped her arms around him in a hug.

When Skittery hugged Helena back, he felt something new. There was a warmth he felt inside. It startled him, he even jumped a little.

"Is something wrong?" asked Helena.

"No, I'm fine," he said. "We- I-I mean I gotta get out there before they run outta papes. You wanna come?"

"Yes,"

They walked out together to find Les and Story sitting on the steps.

Story stood up. "I waited for you- both of yous."

"Thanks," Skittery said, still in a mild daze.

"We should go."

"Yeah,"

Skittery offered the two girls his arms. Les walked ahead, swinging his wooden sword at imaginary opponents. Other than the sounds of the street, it was relatively quiet. None of them talked, there was nothing to say. There was still a line at the circulation desk.

Helena watched the boys who handed the newsies their papers, the Delancey brothers. She'd seen them many times before and she didn't like them. They were antagonistic and relentless, even to the younger boys. The few times she'd visited the newsies in the morning, she'd witnessed fights that they had started. More than once, Helena heard rude comments the Delanceys directed toward Chase and the other newsgirls, which made her wonder about their history.

"You comin'?" asked Skittery.

Helena found herself still standing at the desk after Skittery and Story had paid for their newspapers.

"Um..." she got an idea. "I'll catch up with you in a minute."

Skittery stared at her. What could she possibly have to do here? "You sure?" He didn't want to leave her after all that had happened, especially after the new development in the case.

"It shouldn't take long."

"Ok... We'll be in the park, by the fountain."

After the last boy bought his papers, Helena reached up and rang the bell.

One of the brothers answered. "We're all out ya better-" he, Helena thought his name was Oscar. "Oh... What can I do for you, Princess?" He looked her up and down raising an eyebrow suggestively. Helena crossed her arms over her chest.

"I need to talk to you and your brother."

"Oh you do, do ya? Hey Morris, come over here!"

The Oscar's brother sauntered over, smiling when he saw Helena. "What's goin' on here?"

"She wants to talk to us." said Oscar.

"Well it would be rude of us to decline."

The boys led her behind the circulation desk. This whole situation made her more uncomfortable by the second. She probably should have asked Skittery to stay. But she needed to do this for the case, and more importantly, her friends. And she needed to do it alone because she wanted to be a real journalist, that transition would be tough. The room was bigger than she expected, but there was only one chair, which the two boys fought over as soon as they entered the room. Helena resigned to sit on the counter (Oscar offered to help her up, but she refused).

"So, Princess," Helena could tell Oscar loved calling her that. "What is it you wanna know?"

"Um..." she forgot her whole purpose for staying back for a moment. "Did you hear about the two missing newsgirls?"

The brothers glanced at each other. "Remind us," said Morris. "Um, Chase Myers and Spark Masi went missing a few days ago, not too far from here."

"Oh..."

"Do you know anything about the girls, or anything related to the case?"

The boys looked at each other again, as if they were deciding on their answers together. Helena wrote this highly suspicious behavior down on her notepad.

"Chase," Morris said. "Ain't she Conlon's moll?"

"Yeah, Brooklyn girl." Oscar added. "Ain't that girl, Spark, from there too?"

It was clear the Delancys were hiding something. "Where were you two on the night of December 27th?"

"Here at home," said Oscar.

"Yeah, we sleep upstairs." Morris pointed to a staircase that led upstairs. There was another staircase, on the other side of the room, leading down. "What's down-"

"Is there anything else you need?" Oscar asked her, standing up.

"No, thank you." Helena smiled cordially.

She left quickly, trying to write down everything that struck her as strange about their conversation. They were innocent until proven guilty but Helena was sure they knew something.

* * *

 **A/N: "Moll" is not a typo. It's a slang term originating in the 1820s and it means "A mob doll or a mobster's girlfriend". Even though the Brooklyn newsies aren't technically gangsters (I use technically very loosely) they still have the reputation of being a like the mob. I just loved researching 1800s slang for both of my stories. I remember in "Five Thousand Reasons..." I wanted to use the term "tough cookie" but when I looked it up I found out that use of this term wasn't recorded until the 1950s (if I remember correctly. I can't even find the origin of the phrase right now). A lot of old-fashioned slang terms are so fun. I really like the term "ducky". I don't know why, but I just do. I even found a place to use it in "Five Thousand Reasons".**

* * *

"Read any good books lately?" Skittery asked Story as they walked through the park.

"Not like I've had the time." She frowned.

"Watchin' your girls?"

"Yeah, It's been- it's been difficult without Chase. I miss her. And my sister, of course."

Skittery squeezed her hand. "I'm sorry,"

"No, please don't be." said Story. "There were a lot of things we coulda done differently that night."

"But we didn't." Skittery raised an eyebrow.

"Hey!" she smacked his arm, laughing a little. "Don't be so pessimistic!"

They sat down at the edge of the fountain to read the paper while Les climbed trees and played.

"How are the Casellas takin' it without Chase and Spark there?"

Story sighed. "They're really upset, they practically raised me and Spark and it's like Chase is their own. But unfortunately this has happened a few times before. We're all kinda at that numb stage."

Skittery kicked the ground with his heel. The world was a messed up place and the kids were just trying to survive. He hated that they still didn't have many rights even after the strike and that the only people who cared whether a kid came home at night were the ones closest to them. The police weren't doing anything. If they were, more missing kids would be found.

He took a breath to calm himself down. "Are you gonna tell them about Spot's note?"

"I don't know. I guess I should."

Just then, they saw Helena walking up.

"Hey, Helena."

"Any good headlines today?" she asked.

"Nah," said Skittery. "But I bet either one a' yous girls could find one. Yous is brilliant."

Helena and Story both giggled in response, giving Skittery butterflies. But he couldn't tell who they were from.

"So, uh If you don't mind me askin', Helena," Skittery started. "How come you stayed back?"

Helena sat down next to him, smoothing out her skirt. "I stayed to interview the Delancey brothers."

"Oh you- wait, WHAT?!"

Helena and Story both jumped. "It's important for the case. The girls were kidnapped not far from there and-"

Skittery grabbed Helena's hands, which probably would have caused both of them to blush if it were not for Skittery's outburst. "Do you realize how dangerous those guys are?"

"Yes, which is why I stayed back in the first place."

Skittery smacked himself in the head. "And I let you be with them, alone! Stupid!"

"You didn't know-"

"Yeah, I didn't." he realized. "You're the crazy one here, not me."

Helena felt a little stung. "Ok, well now that we have that straightened out-"

Skittery ran a hand through his hair. "I mean, if anything happened to you I woulda-" He stopped, feeling a blush coming on.

"If anything happened to me, what?" Helena cocked her head.

"Forget it." Skittery dismissed her question. "I'm sorry, I'm just not in the mood to lose anymore of my friends." He stood up and walked away to sell his papes, calling 'Extra!' down the path, leaving Story and Helena at the bench.

* * *

"Ok," Jack said. "So what do we know about Shade?"

"'Member Myth?" Spot asked.

Jack nodded.

"Shade's his younger brother."

"So it's safe to say he'll be true to his word, then."

Jack didn't know much about Myth. He stayed in Brooklyn and Jack was a Manhattan boy through and through. But what he had heard was horrible.

"Spot," Mush said. "Do you have any idea why Shade would do somethin' like this?"

Spot thought for a second. "Well Myth just liked causin' trouble for fun. Until he tried takin' over."

"You think he's tryin' to take Brooklyn?"

"Yeah, that makes sense, don't it?" said Spot. "And I bet he's usin' the girls as a trade."

Myth played dirty, so Spot wasn't surprised that Shade would do something like this. At least he knew who he was dealing with, that would help with strategy when the time to fight came.

Mush stared at the ground, fighting back tears. "I- I know it's your city a-and all and you got lots of others to think about, but Rosie means a lot to me and I don't think I could lose her again." The past 8 years had been hard for Mush. The only things he had left were his faith and his memories. But there was only so long he could live with just the memories. That's precisely when he found Roselia again and he never wanted to live a day without her again.

"Mush," Spot said firmly. "You know I love your sister. I love her more than anything this city, or even this world could give me. So if it came between her and Brooklyn, I'd choose her without a doubt."

"Thanks," Mush smiled.

Spot punched his friend in the arm. "Besides, I know my boys ain't goin' down without a fight. There's no way Shade could beat us if he had half of New York behind him."

"Just like last summer." said Jack.

"Yeah, just like last summer."

* * *

Chase and Spark were asleep when Prima came to get them after sunset.

"Come on, yous gotta get up." Prima nudged them awake.

"I need my beauty rest." Spark said sleepily. "The papes can wait, Chase."

Prima rolled her eyes, flicking on the light.

"Ahhhh!"

"We have to go. Right now."

Chase sat up. "Where are we going?" she demanded.

"Rehearsal."

"For the show?"

Prima nodded. She started untying the girls' wrists.

Spark hopped off the bed once she was free, still holding onto the frame for support. "Yous ain't afraid we'll try to escape?"

"If you try, you'll regret it." Prima rubbed her arm.

Chase noticed something. "Hey," she said, grabbing Prima's wrist. "What are those?"

On Prima's arm were two dark bruises Chase didn't remember seeing before. She looked at Prima's face. Her right eye was also darkened with a purple bruise.

"Are those from-"

Prima was quick to shake her head, pulling her sleeve down before Chase or Spark could get a closer look.

"Does your brother beat you?" Chase asked, locking eyes with Prima.

She didn't answer for a while. "Yes," she said finally. And the tears started flowing.

Spark and Chase looked at each other, not knowing what to do. They knew Shade was evil, but beating his own sister? How long had that been going on?

"Why?"

"Because I forgot to tie yous up yesterday." Prima sniffed. "And because I told you about Myth."

Chase felt her temper flare. "How did he know I didn't already know about that?"

"He just knows, ok? So stop bothering me about it!"

"You shouldn't let him do that." said Spark.

"I don't have much control of him now, do I?" she crossed her arms.

"Why don't you run away?" Chase ask.

Prima didn't answer. But her tears kept coming. The girls could tell she'd thought about this before.

Chase put a hand on her shoulder. "It's because you love to perform."

Prima nodded.

"Suffering for your art."

"And he's all I got left..." Prima wiped her tears. "So if you don't wanna end up like me, don't try to escape."

The girls got up and stretched. Spark needed assistance going up the steps. There was a black carriage waiting for them upstairs. Shade opened the door for the girls, offering his hand to help them inside. Spark ignored his help and attempted the steps herself but she tripped, falling into Shade.

He laughed. "What's a' matter, you hurt or somethin'?"

She glared and Chase helped her get in

"We're going to Irving hall?" Chase asked Shade, remembering the flier from last night.

"Yeah," He said.

"How did you swing that?"

"It took a little persuasion." Shade had a mischievous smile.

"You threatened Medda?" Every moment she spent with Shade, she hated him more.

"No, I just explained our little situation," he said. "And she agreed right away that it would be best if she let us borrow her theatre." Shade hopped into the driver's seat. "Get in so we can go.

Chase stomped up the three steps into the carriage, sitting next to Prima. "Oh great," she said when she saw who was sitting across from her. "What are you doing here?"

Oscar touched his heart. "That hurt, Doll Face."

"It was supposed to," She smirked.

"Seriously," said Spark. "Why are yous here?"

"'Cause we're part a' the show." Morris answered.

"Since when do yous got talent?"

As Spark and the Delancys argued, Chase looked out the window. They passed the Manhattan boys' lodging house, and Chase struggled not to cry. She missed Spot and her brother and Story, Jack, Crutchy, all of her friends. They were probably so worried. She just wanted to go home.

* * *

 **A/N: Sooooo... No one told me I accidentally uploaded chapters 2 and 5 from "Five Thousand Reasons..." instead of "Underworld". Not sure how yous got past those without being confused because I sure was when I was previewing the story tonight. Anyway, yous should probably go back and read those chapters now that it is the right story. Also keep reviewing and commenting. I love hearing your responses!**


	20. Chapter 20

Skittery was the last boy to return to the lodging house that night. Still in a bad mood, he sat down at the table to play poker with the other boys. He didn't even address Helena or Story, who were sitting on the couch.

Helena had her face in her hands. "Why can't I ever listen?"

Story glanced up from the book she and David were reading aloud. "Listen to who- oh."

"And now he hates me!"

David raised an eyebrow. "Who hates you?"

Story shut the book with a snap and shoved it into David's lap. "Girl talk. Go play some poker."

David opened his mouth to protest. He nodded, realizing the gravity of the situation and took his seat at the table.

"Now," said Story. "What is this about Skittery hating you?"

Helena looked up. "You remember how he stormed off earlier." Helena, for one, couldn't forget. After Skittery had split from their little group that morning, she decided to visit her uncle's office as the event played back over again in an endless loop. She tried typing up her notes, filing papers, and even sweeping the floors to take her mind off of things. It didn't work. "I've ruined his trust and now he won't speak to me. He doesn't even want to look at me!" It was difficult to hold back tears. Helena didn't want to cry in front of the newsies, but Skittery was one of her friends. She might even say he was her best friend.

"Calm down." Story gave Helena a hug. "You didn't do anything wrong."

"But I was interviewing the Delanceys-"

Story smiled a little. "I have to say, that wasn't a very smart move," She took Helena's hand. "But don't beat yourself up about it. You were just doin' your job. A real reporter wouldn't shy away from a potentially dangerous situation when there's an important story to tell."

Helena nodded, sniffing.

"Besides, you know he's moody." Story added.

"Yes," Helena said. "But I feel like I hurt him deeper. He just left so quickly."

Story was quiet for a moment. "...I know..."

Helena looked up at the boys' poker game. Skittery looked angsty as ever, answering any questions directed toward with one word answers as the others continued their conversations with the same energy as they always had. He took a long swig of the amber liquid in the bottle some of the older boys were passing around.

"I think he has feelings for you." Story said finally.

Helena blushed "What? No, he- he couldn't possibly- I- I mean-" she stammered.

Story laughed. "Don't be so, what's the word, naive. Of course he does."

"But he likes you!" Helena blurted, instantly regretting it. Her eyes darted back up to Skittery, who didn't notice.

"He did like me. I know he's liked me for a while now." Story said. "But ever since you came, he's been acting different."

Helena stared at her. "You knew he liked you?"

"Not at first, Chase and Spark and sometimes Spot would tease me about it. I didn't believe them for a while but I figured it out not too long ago." She said. "And I know for a fact he likes you now."

"How so?"

"The way his eyes light up when he sees you. He smiles at the mention of your name. It's not like when he had feelings for me. He's not angry all the time-"

Helena raised an eyebrow. "Except now."

"Alright, everybody listen up!" Jack smacked the poker table to get everyone's attention. "Game's over, we gotta make a plan for tomorrow night."

Story stood up. "I'm gonna help the little ones get in bed." she said to Helena "You stay here."

Helena reluctantly obeyed and pulled out her notebook and pen. She took a seat between Mush and Racetrack at the poker table, realizing with a pang that this was usually where Spark usually sat.

When everyone was seated, Jack began. "Tomorrow's the night," was all he said.

"What are we gonna do?" Mush asked. His voice sounded tired and hopeless.

"We gotta go, right?"

"Wait, Shade said there's gonna be a surprise," said Kid Blink, "What if it's a trap?"

The other boys started talking at the same time, the noise level rose quickly.

"Will yous shut it?" came a voice from upstairs. "I'm tryin' to put your kids to bed!"

Jack winced. "Sorry, Story," he turned back to the group, eyes on Blink. "That's just gonna have to be a risk we take. We gotta get the girls back no matter what."

The others spoke, much quieter this time, in agreement.

"It can't be too dangerous," Racetrack said. "I mean, I saw Shade's fliers all around the city. There's gonna be more people there than just newsies."

"Yeah," said Jack. "But I bet Shade's the type that doesn't care who he hurts, he won't let anyone in his way."

Spot spoke up. "Yeah, that's how his brother was."

Kid Blink nodded, and changed the subject. "What do we figure, this gonna be a freak show, like Coney Island?"

"That's what we expect." said Spot. "And I bet the girls are in it. With all them 'shadows' around this city Shade probably knows about Chase and Spark's talents."

Jack nodded. "And if they are, we gotta make sure one a' us gets close enough to get 'em outta there and avoid too much fightin'."

David raised an eyebrow. "Really, Jack? That isn't usually your way."

"I know, but we got more than just us to think about here. I don't want no one else hurt."

Helena looked up suddenly, remembering something. "I'm assuming there will be a magic act like at Coney Island," she started. "If they ever ask for volunteers, raise your hands. If someone can get onstage with the girls, we might have a shot of getting them out before anything bad happens."

Jack turned to Helena. "Do you know anything else we should know about magic shows?" From what Spot had told him, this seemed to a common interest between Shade and Myth: illusions.

She blew out a long breath, looking down at her notes. "I don't know much, I haven't seen that many."

"That's probably more than any a' us though."

"Right," she said. "It shouldn't be much different than what we saw on Hallowe'en. Disappearing tricks, mind reading."

"Illusionists take the audience's attention off the trick by distracting them," said David. "We have to keep an eye out for anything odd."

"Ha," Racetrack said. "Shouldn't be too hard with all a' us all there."

Something troubled Helena. "Not necessarily. Magicians can divert the audience's attention pretty easily. Everyone needs to keep their eye on the stage no matter what happens. Also, there are some dangerous tricks to be wary of."

"Such as...?"

"There are tricks involving weapons, like knife swallowing, fire throwing, and-" Helena closed her eyes. She remembered an article she had read in the newspaper back in Philadelphia just last year. It was a tragic story. "And 'The Bullet Catch'."

Mush's eyes widened. "Wh-what's 'The Bullet Catch'."

"It's a trick where the illusionist, or his assistant catches a bullet shot at them by an audience member."

"How does that even work?"

"The gun is unloaded. The catcher is supposed to be unharmed-"

"Then it shouldn't be a problem-" said Kid Blink.

Helena bit her lip. "Unless someone slips something small down the barrel." It had happened before. A famous magic show went out of business because of it. A crazed audience member slid a pebble down the barrel, killing the assistant. She was the illusionist's wife.

"Wait- wait-" said David. "We could use that to our advantage."

They all gaped at David.

* * *

It was strange being in Irving Hall without Medda. It was full of people, all from Shade and Prima's show at Coney Island and Shade's "shadows", but it felt so different, so empty. Usually, at least one of their friends were with them. Spot never missed a show and he liked to be there for rehearsals too.

Chase and Spark did a lot of waiting. They had some time to rest while Shade wasn't paying attention. If Prima noticed, she didn't say anything.

Shade said they were saving the 'best' for last, so the girls wouldn't be involved until the final few acts. Chase was going to sing a song, and then she, Prima, and Spark would do a dance that Prima choreographed.

Shade stood behind the piano and counted the tempo out loud. "One, two, three, four. One, two, three, four... Spark, you're a count behind."

Spark was doing her best but her ankle was killing her. Shade snapped his fingers and the pianist abtuptly stopped playing.

"Shade," said Prima with her hands on her hips. "She is injured."

"Which is your doing." Chase added.

"Just pick another song or put her in a different act."

"Girls," said Shade as he gripped the edge of the piano. "This show needs to go according to plan or we're gonna have some major problems. So I suggest yous deal with it or Spark's ankle won't be the only thing hurting."

Chase opened her mouth to speak.

"It's alright, Chase," said Spark. "I can do it."

"Great." said Shade.

It was almost midnight by the time they rehearsed the last act: Shade's magic act. The three girls would serve as Shade's "lovely assistants". It was a relatively mindless job. They just had to hand him what he needed for his tricks and add lots of extra flourishes for audience appeal.

A huge tank full of water was pushed onto the stage.

"Chase," Shade snapped his fingers, ordering her and the other girls around like trained puppies.

"Yes?" she tried to keep her voice as neutral as possible. Shade took both of her hands in his delicately, causing her to cringe.

"Oscar says you're a bit of an escape artist." Before Chase had time to realize it, Shade had her wrists bound tightly together, the rope cut into her skin. She gasped from the pain. "Try getting out of that." He laughed, turning back to Prima and Spark. "Remember to smile, girls." Shade said, over exaggerating his own smile. "We want to make this a performance they'll never forget."

* * *

December 31, 1899

Helena waited at the lodging house steps. The day had passed in a blur. Her uncle let her sleep in late that morning, he could tell she wasn't feeling herself. She read the paper in Central Park. By herself. In a tree. Now she understood why Spark and Mush spent so much time up in the trees. It was nice to have the privacy she wanted and still feel connected to the world. She hopped down from her perch when the sun started to go down. It was getting colder. And it was getting closer to the time.

Now she waited, tapping her foot. Of course the boys would be late. Only David had a watch, at least one that worked. And Helena couldn't blame the boys who wanted to make sure they sold all of their papers by the end of the day. But Shade was very clear in his message. They couldn't be late for this.

"Hey," said Mush as he walked up to the steps.

"Hi," Helena answered.

"Where's Denton?"

"He's out contacting some of his friends on the police force," she answered. "Some backup for tonight."

"That's good."

Helena hoped the sorrow would end tonight. Mush wasn't like this ever. If he was sad, he kept it between himself and God, sometimes his sister. But he was never this forlorn in public. It just wasn't him.

The two of them waited a little while longer for the rest of the newsies to show up. Soon, there was a small group of them sitting on the steps.

"Who are we still waiting on?" David asked, clicking open his pocket watch.

"Spot's the only one, I think," said Jack. "We can't leave without him."

"Of course not," David snapped the watch closed. "But he better get here soon, it's almost time to go."

Just as David said that, they heard someone running down the street.

"I'm... here!" Spot panted, taking a seat to rest. "Sorry I'm late."

Jack let him catch his breath before asking, "What were you doin'?"

"I was makin' sure everythin' was ok at the lodging houses, you know, just in case." Spot wanted to be prepared for whatever Shade had coming. He made Charmer, Rake, and Ruse spend the night at the girls' lodging house in case of a midnight attack. His boys would be fine if they stayed in all night.

"Good," Not all of Jack's boys would be coming. They kept the group small so they could keep track of everyone. The little ones, including Les, would not be coming. Helena and Story were the only girls allowed, and that was after a lot of begging on their parts. They couldn't just sit back and let the boys do all the work.

"Are we ready to-" Just then, the church bells chimed. It was five minutes until 7:00.

"Oh no!" said Mush. "We're runnin' late." He stood to run, but Jack caught his arm.

"You're not gonna make it from here. It's like fifteen blocks."

"How else are we gonna get there?"

Where was Helena's uncle? He said he would be back in time for the show. And Skittery, he wasn't back from selling yet. She stood up shaking her head. "We're going to have to run," she said. "It's the only way we can-" she felt something jingling in her coat pocket. Her uncle's keys. He had walked to the police station, leaving her his car. "Wait, I have an idea." She had them follow her around the corner where the car was parked.

Jack raised an eyebrow. "You know how to drive this?"

"I... I've seen my uncle drive thousands of times. It can't be that hard." she attempted a reassuring smile.

Jack and the boys didn't look convinced.

"If we don't do this," said Story. "Then Chase and Spark could be in more danger than before. Let's go." she hopped into the back seat, dragging David behind her.

"It's worth a shot," he shrugged.

The others followed. Jack and Mush got into the front seat next to Helena. Spot had to sit on their laps, which he was not happy about, but he was smaller than the two of them. Kid Blink and Racetrack clamored to get in the back. Somehow Race ended up sprawled across David, Story, and Blink.

"Yous gonna have to run behind us," Jack said to the others. "We gotta get goin'."

"Everyone ready?" Helena tried to even out her voice. She honestly had no idea what she was doing.

It took a few tries to get the car going. When she did finally get the engine to turn on, they sped down the street. They were in a rush and Helena wasn't quite sure how to change the speed she was going. She took some wide turns, narrowly missing a few pedestrians and a horse cart.

"Whoa- Slow down, will ya?" said Racetrack.

Helena answered quickly. "We have to get there before we're locked out."

Helena took the last turn on to the street Irving Hall was on. She slammed on the brakes as they pulled up to the front, but she was a bit late, crashing the car into a light post in the process.

"E-everyone alright?" She glanced back. They seemed fine, a but tumbled, Story's curls were wild, but everyone seemed to be in tact.

"I thought you said you could drive!" Blink exclaimed, tumbling out of the car.

"I said I could figure it out," Helena blushed.

They rushed inside right as the ushers were closing the doors. They were let in without having to pay. Shade was definitely waiting for them.

The show had started, the lights were dim. They took the scattered empty seats in the theatre. David took Story and Helena up to the balcony to the left of the stage.

There was an empty seat in the middle of the front row. Just for Spot.

* * *

Shade had the cast spend the night at Irving Hall. Thankfully, the girls were separated from the rest, taking Medda's dressing room to sleep in. The next day was spent rehearsing, no time for rest at all. And then it was show time.

Prima handed Chase and Spark their costumes. They stared at them for a long while. Among a few flashy dance costumes and long gowns were identical black and white dresses with ruffled skirts that would barely hit their knees. The bodice laced up in the back. The corset was on the outside?! The sleeves, or rather straps, were off the shoulder.

"Chase, you're going to wear that one first." Prima said as she pointed to a white floor-length gown. She then pulled out a short (but more modest than the black and white ruffles) pastel purple dress, directing Spark to do the same. "Get dressed."

Chase and Spark obeyed, praying the night would end quickly.

Prima helped them with their makeup, heavily applying powders, kohl, and rouge. She pulled out a box from underneath the vanity. Inside were several different hair pieces the girls would be wearing during the show, including dozens of real red rose buds.

"What's that for?" asked Spark.

"They're for our hair." Prima answered. "Shade wants us to wear them at the end of the show."

Chase scoffed. "Where did he get those in the middle of winter?"

"Hothouse roses. Shade spares no expense."

"That's apparent."

There was a knock at the door.

"That's five minutes," Prima started pinning ribbons in her hair. "Yous ready?"

Chase and Spark shared a glance. They weren't sure.

* * *

 **A/N: So if you (somehow) hadn't noticed this story now has less chapters. I compiled some of them together so this story wouldn't end up having 45 chapters by the end (ok, really I'm up to 39 but I still have some more scenes to write and I don't want the story to be super choppy). If there are any errors like missing scenes or chapters that are out of order (or if anything doesn't make sense), let me know.**


	21. Chapter 21

Spot was on-edge the whole first half of the show. The show was a little different from what the newsies had seen at Coney island, there were less "freaks". Maybe Manhattan was a more _refined_ audience. Some actors performed scenes from various plays like "The Matchmaker" and "Our American Cousin". Spot thought he had heard of the second play but he couldn't remember where. A man got onstage and told some jokes. A man and a woman, both dressed in drag, danced a waltz. Spot guessed it was supposed to be funny but he couldn't laugh in at a time like this. Then Shade and Prima had their contortionist act which seemed to last forever.

Then, there was intermission. He didn't dare leave his seat, but he did look around to see where everyone else was sitting.

Mush was a few rows behind him, in the aisle. Jack was across the way from Mush, also in an aisle seat. A few of Spot's and Jack's boys were scattered throughout the theatre. In the top left balcony seats were Helena, Story, David, Denton, Medda, and Mark.

The lights dimmed and the audience hushed as the second act began. The curtains opened. There stood Chase in the spotlight wearing a white lace dress decorated with pale pink ribbons. Spot caught his breath. She was so close he could touch her if he tried.

 **Bright lights were flashing in the grand ballroom, Softly the music playing sweet tunes. There came my sweetheart, my love, my own – "I wish some water; leave me alone."**

Chase didn't look frightened or nervous, she never had stage fright, but Spot thought she looked grieved. It was barely detectable in her almost blank face. Everyone else probably wrote it off as indifference. She had the air of a diva, as if she owned the stage, something she's picked up from working with Medda. But Spot could see the pain behind her eyes.

 **When I returned a girl stood with my man, Kissing my sweetheart as lovers can. Down fell the glass pet, broken, that's all, Just as my heart was after the ball.**

Chase hated this song. She had hated it when she'd heard it for the first time, at her school, and she hated it even more now. She hated that Shade was making her sing it.

 **After the ball is over, After the break of morn – After the dancers' leaving; After the stars are gone; Many a heart is aching, If you could read them all; Many the hopes that have vanished After the ball.**

She knew why Shade picked the song, to prove his point. He wanted her to feel as if she had already lost. The message was not at all optimistic. Although she'd had a hard life, Chase had lived through her optimism. Her parents taught her that, both sets. And the Bible said it too. Everything would be alright in the end, even if you couldn't see it.

 **Long years have passed child, I've never wed. True to my lost love-**

Chase's eyes landed on Spot in the front row. The lyrics caught in her throat.

 **-though he is dead. He tried to tell me, tried to explain; I would not listen, pleadings were vain. One day a letter came from that man, the girl was his sister – the letter ran.**

Chase struggled to keep her voice even, she could feel the tears running down her cheeks. At least the emotions fit the lyrics.

 **That's why I'm lonely, no home at all; I broke his heart pet, after the ball.**

Chase bowed at the applause, she got a standing ovation. She scanned the audience though her eyes were blurry from the tears. She could see Jack, Mush, and some other newsies in the audience. They came!

Chase stepped back behind the curtain as the next act was starting. Chase just closed her eyes and leaned against the wall as the tears continued to stream. She couldn't stop crying. The newsies had come. Chase didn't realize how much she had been holding back before. Both relief and fear conflicted in her heart.

Chase turned to go to the dressing room to change into her next costume. She bumped into someone in the dark.

"Wow, Chase, still crying? You're quite the actress."

Her eyes adjusted to the darkness. It was Shade, who smirked down at her. She realized with a pang that the boys coming here played right into his hands. He had something dangerous up his sleeve.

Shade offered her a handkerchief. "Fix your makeup."

She snatched it out of his hand and quickly dabbed under her eyes.

"Also," said Shade. "Change of plans. Spark is gonna do the water escape and you will assist me for the bullet catch."

"What? But she hasn't even practiced that one!"

Shade shrugged. "It will add a little more suspense to the trick, don't you think?" He laughed. "Hopefully she knows how to swim."

"You're despicable." Chase glared.

"Strong words from a girl who has the lives of all of her friends in her hands."

* * *

"What's a matter?" Spark asked when she saw Chase's eyes which were red from crying.

Chase just shook her head and quickly pulled on her costume and tights without saying a word to the other girls. Spark gave her an encouraging hug. It helped a little.

Chase honestly never thought she would see Spot again. But seeing him _here,_ in the same place as Shade who wanted to take Brooklyn and kill the king. She worried for Spot and her friends. But while she was in Shade's possession she knew there was nothing she could do.

The three girls left the dressing room to wait for their cue backstage.

Chase passed Shade in the wings just as the music changed signaling the girls' dance.

"Don't forget to-"

"I know!" she snapped at him. "Smile." she demonstrated, but the smile didn't reach her eyes.

Shade smirked again.

Chase turned on her heel and entered the stage following Prima and Spark, still smiling falsely, as the music cued the dance to start.

"Chase," Spark whispered out of the corner of her mouth as they got into position. "They're here!"

"Yeah," Chase said. "I know."

Chase watched Spark's dancing out of the corner of her eye. Spark kept the tempo very well, but Chase could tell each step was painful by the smile that was plastered on her face and how she stepped gingerly. Shade hadn't let her wear the bandage around her ankle. He said it would ruin her "line" and it would look bad to the audience. It seemed as if all Shade wanted was to watch them suffer. It was like a sick game to him.

Chase saw that Shade's boys were also scattered throughout the audience. Even if she and Spark could jump off the stage to Spot and the others they wouldn't make it out of the theatre before they were caught and, knowing Shade, possibly killed. She couldn't put Spark's life in danger like that. They would have to wait until the end of the show.

 _At least the water escape comes up first. She doesn't have to wait standing backstage for the whole set until the finale._

* * *

Following the dance were Shade's magic tricks, While the girls changed costumes Chase and Prima tried their best to explain how to do the water escape trick to Spark. Spark grimaced as she saw her new costume. It would have been very pretty with its blue bodice and floral brocade embroidery except that somehow it was even shorter than her first one, barely hitting the middle of her thigh and she couldn't wear shoes or stockings. She felt completely exposed. The white lacy bloomers she wore underneath the short skirt were a little comfort for her.

"Turn out your feet a little when he ties your ankles so the hold is loose enough," Chase said. "And make sure Morris crosses the rope on your right wrist. That way your wrists will be bound by a loop and you can easily slip out of the rope under water."

"And if he forgets," Prima added. "Correct him immediately or the trick will fail. The knot has to be tight."

"Ok..." Spark said. She knew exactly what it would mean if the trick failed.

"He will be standing in front of you so the audience won't be able to see if you discretely signal him."

Spark nodded, trying to commit all of these steps to memory.

"But whatever you do," Chase said. "Keep your wrists together until the rigging drops you over the water. If you don't you'll either reveal the trick or fall from the flies."

"I don't think Shade will appreciate either of those situations." Prima shuddered a little. "Just don't panic. Panicking will slow you down and prevent you from executing the trick without fail." She paused a moment. "You'll do great. It's an easy trick if you remember the steps."

"Oh yeah," Spark used sarcasm to hide her fear. "It's just that simple, ain't it?"

At a knock on the door the girls returned to the stage with Shade.

"Break a leg," Chase whispered to Spark as the girls stepped into the spotlight.

Spark nodded, a nervous smile crossing her face.

"For my next trick I will need two volunteers." Shade surveyed the audience. Every newsie there raised their hands. "Ah, Vivienne, Roselia, those two gentlemen, there and there, in the back." Shade pointed to the back row of the audience.

Chase crossed the stage in front of Shade and Prima, a big no-no when it came to theatre etiquette. But there was no way she was going to escort Oscar Delancey to the stage, even if it was only for a few seconds. She tromped down the aisle pretending she didn't see Spot, Mush, and Jack in the audience, to the back row where Morris Delancey was sitting. Chase grabbed his arm roughly and practically dragged him towards the stage. The huge glass water tank was being rolled onstage. Spark stood in front of the tank and smiled.

"Five hundred gallons of water," Shade gestured to the tank. "Some rope and a padlock. Can Madeleine, my _lovely_ assistant." he said it ironically. "Escape this watery prison? We shall find out."

There was an audible reaction from the audience. Spot looked back at Mush who stiffly watched the stage with a disturbed look on his face. He couldn't blame him. If this was one of Shade's first tricks, Spot couldn't imagine what he had in store for the finale.

Prima, Chase, and the Delancey brothers joined Shade and Spark at center stage.

"Bind her hands and feet." Shade said as he handed each of the Delancey brothers a length of rope.

Morris stepped in front of Spark as he began to tie her wrists.

"Are either of you two gentlemen sailors?" Shade asked.

"No," Both of the Delanceys said in turn.

"I'm sure you can both tie a strong knot."

Spark watched Morris cross the rope on her right wrist and then he tied a knot on her left. She exhaled a little. He remembered to tie it correctly at least. Spark turned her feet out as Chase had said. Oscar pulled the rope tight around her ankles causing her to gasp at the pain. He winked at her, enjoying her reaction. If she had the chance she would have kicked him in the face.

Shade dismissed Prima and Chase. They went to the wings and stood next to one of Shade's shadows. He had a stopwatch in one hand and a hatchet in the other. Hopefully he wouldn't need the hatchet.

A hook came down from the flies and Shade secured it to the rope around Spark's wrists. Spark took one last look to the wings. Prima smiled at her encouragingly while Chase bit her lip, looking worried. At Shade's signal Spark was hoisted into the air by the rigging. Once she was over the water tank, Spark hovered for a second and then dropped into the water with a splash. The lid on the tank slammed shut and the padlock was secured. Curtains dropped from the flies concealing the tank and Shade proceeded to circle the tank.

The water was quite cold. Spark supposed she should have known due to the fact that it was the middle of wintertime. But she couldn't let the shock cold slow her down. Spark had a little less than two minutes to escape before the potential disaster. The rope on her wrists was very simple to escape from just as Chase and Prima had promised. The rope around her ankles was another matter.

* * *

"How long has it been?" Chase asked Shade's "shadow". She recognized him as the nicely dressed one who would always buy two papers in the same day.

He looked at the pocket watch. "Forty-five seconds."

"And how much time does she have left?"

The boy rolled his eyes. "Relax, _Your Highness."_

Chase flared, drawing back her fist to punch him. Prima stopped her, putting her hand on Chase's shoulder.

"She'll be fine. She has another forty-five before-"

"Before what?" Chase looked at Prima.

"Before we have to use this." The boy held up the hatchet.

* * *

 _That idiot!_ Spark thought. _He tied it too tight._

She kicked and jostled the rope but it was no use. She had to figure out a way to pull the knot apart or it would be too late. _Don't panic._ Prima's words rang in her head. Spark relaxed as best as she could and she began to think. She needed some leverage, to use Shade's word. She put a hand up to her hair as she thought. The hairpins were becoming loose in the water and tendrils of blonde hair swirled around her head. _A hairpin! Yes!_ Spark pulled one of the pins from her hair and jammed it into the center of the tight knot and pulled with all of her strength. She finally broke free!

Spark propelled herself up to the top of the tank, banging her head on the lid in the process, realizing that now she was beginning to feel dizzy from holding her breath. She felt around the front of the tank for the chamber that would allow her to escape. She found it and slipped her hand through the opening and reached for the trick lock.

* * *

"Ten... nine... eight... seven..." Prima counted out loud.

"Shouldn't you be doing something? Time is almost up!" Chase cried. "She's been in there too long!"

"Can't do that, Shade's orders." The boy continued to look at the watch.

"Six... five... four..."

"Forget about Shades orders!" Chase couldn't hold back anymore. She smacked the boy across the face.

The boy's eyes locked with hers immediately. He was livid. "Alright, now you've done it." He grabbed Chase's wrist hard.

"Three... two... Wait!" Prima stood between them. She pointed to the stage.

The curtain around the tank had come up and a soaking wet Spark was posing next to it. The audience erupted in a roar of applause and cheers. Prima and Chase rushed onto the stage as Shade had ordered. Chase glanced back at the "shadow" and smirked at him. He couldn't touch her now.

* * *

Spark couldn't help but smile. She did it! She posed for the audience who applauded loudly. Shade took her hand and the two of them bowed deeply. When Spark looked up she saw Mush in the audience, standing up with his eyes wide. He was one of the only ones who weren't clapping. Seeing him so distraught brought her back to reality and tears pricked at her eyes.

"Don't you even think about cryin'." Shade whispered out of the corner of his mouth as he smiled for the crowd. He tightened his grip on her hand.

Spark gave a small nod.

"Thank you, gentleman." Shade said to the Delanceys as he directed them off the stage.

Prima, Chase, and Spark all blew them kisses flirtatiously as they left. Chase, especially, tried not to roll her eyes as she did so. The audience laughed, except for the newsies.

* * *

 ** _A/N: So if you're familiar with "The Prestige", you'll know about the water tank trick. I decided to write this trick with the same dialogue as from the movie (because of "The Turn") and the trick is executed pretty much the same way. It's interesting, when I was doing research on water escape tricks I could only come up with Harry Houdini's "Chinese Water Torture". Instead of rope Houdini was bound with chains and his wrists were locked in stocks that were in the lid of the tank (so his hands would be out of the water). Another trick I found also required several chains with different locks and a weight to drag the escape artist to the bottom of the tank as they unlocked each lock all with different keys. Personally I like the simplicity of the trick from "The Prestige" and even though I couldn't find any record of a trick with these specifications I'm sure people did underwater rope escapes back in the day. Also, to write this scene I read the script from "The Prestige" and I noticed some things that I hadn't noticed when I watched the movie. I've seen the film at least four times (probably more though) and every time I come back to it there's something more that I notice. It is such a great film!_**


	22. Chapter 22

Prima and Chase each took one of Spark's arms as they exited the stage so the audience couldn't see Spark's pronounced limp.

"Let me see your ankle." Chase said, leading Spark to the vanity chair.

Prima helped Spark change into her last costume while Chase assessed her injury.

"Ow!" Spark exclaimed as Chase touched a tender spot.

"Did he tie it too tight?" Chase asked as she examined some new bruises and rope burn on Spark's ankle.

"Yeah," Spark muttered. "That's why it took me so long to get out of the tank."

Chase tensed with rage.

"The dancing earlier couldn't have helped either." Said Prima.

Chase exhaled sharply and rummaged through Medda's dresser for a bandage for Spark's ankle. Prima roughly dried Spark's hair with a towel until it was just damp. She instructed Spark on how to pin up her hair with the rose buds. When Chase found a suitable bandage she sat at Spark's feet once more.

"Keep it elevated," Chase said as she tightly wound the bandage.

"Ok," Spark said through gritted teeth.

"A few more tricks and the show is over," Prima added, slipping into a long, flowing white dress. With her light hair loose and flowing down her back she looked like a ghost. "Then yous can get outta here."

"How?" Chase asked. So far she hadn't come up with a good way to escape. Chase would be onstage or in the wings for the rest of the show, once she changed into her final costume: the black and white scandal she had seen earlier. Then girls were required to join Shade and the rest of the cast for a curtain call at the end. Chase was sure he wouldn't let them go so easily.

"I have some ideas." Prima winked.

* * *

When the water escape trick was over Helena watched the Delancey brothers walk towards the back of the theatre to their seats. Except they weren't going to their seats. Helena handed her notebook and pen to Story.

"I need some air. " She said. Shade was on to his next trick making live butterflies appear from a deck of playing cards so no one was really paying attention. She walked out into the hallway to the top of the stairs. The Delanceys were just exiting the theatre door. Helena ducked behind the banister so they wouldn't spot her. _What are they doing?_ She thought as both boys entered a small, nondescript door. As soon as they were out of sight Helena ran down the steps. The door was unlocked. Taking a breath she entered. A long, dark, narrow hallway stretched before her. She could hear the muffled sounds of the music playing inside of the theatre. Helena crept along the wall toward the voices she heard. She approached a door that was open just a crack, dim light spilling into the hall.

"Conlon's gonna get the surprise of his life tonight. " Helena recognized the voice of Morris Delancey.

 _Surprise? What surprise?_ Through the crack Helena could see the brothers sitting in some sort of workshop. Half finished props and set pieces scattered about the room. They were loading twin Colt revolvers.

"Yeah, I can't wait to see it. Wipe that smug little grin of his face."

 _Of course Shade would do the bullet catch. That would explain the pistols. But wait-_

Oscar and Morris weren't just loading the guns with powder only, but bullets too. And Helena could tell they weren't blanks.

"Put a lot a' powder in that one," Morris instructed. "We want it to be a night they'll never forget."

"Oh I don't think they'll be forgettin' this anytime soon." Oscar smirked. "Such a shame, the loss." he put his hand to his heart. His brother just laughed.

Helena gasped. She had to get out of there and warn someone!

"What was that?" Helena heard the sounds of chairs scuffing the floor. She had to run! Just as she turned to go someone grabbed her shoulder hard.

"Well, well, what have we here, Morris?" Oscar Delancey pinned her against the wall.

"Looks like this little Princess has been spyin' on us."

"Let go of me, you brutes! " Helena struggled.

The Delanceys shared a wicked smile. "See, we can't do that, sweetheart." said Morris.

"Yeah, we can't have you ruinin' the grand finale now, could we?"

Before Helena could open her mouth the Delanceys grabbed her and started dragging her through the hallway. She kicked and screamed but the two boys were too strong for her.

"NO," She screamed. "Murderers! You can't do this!" but the music was too loud for anyone to hear her cries.

The boys dragged her through the lobby to a coat closet. They shoved her inside.

"Shade will decide what to do with you after the show." said Morris.

"Yeah," said Oscar, "I look forward to that."

"Bye, Princess."

The door shut with a click.

"NO!" Helena banged on the door. "Someone help me!"

* * *

"Thank you, Vivienne." Shade said as Prima floated back down to the ground, following the movement of his hand. He had somehow levitated his sister six feet into the air without the use of wires or anything. The audience was in awe.

Prima smiled and bowed for the audience and then stepped back behind the curtain, emerging two seconds later wearing an entirely new costume, her hair done up with rosebuds. The audience laughed and applauded at this small yet amazing trick. She and Chase, who was waiting in the wings, both returned to Shade's side. Chase took his arm as she was ordered.

"Alright," said Shade. "For the final trick: a brush with death." Shade pulled a pistol from his jacket.

 _Helena was right._ Spot thought. It was amazing how vulnerable Shade was making himself. But maybe that was his plan all along. He had to have some sort of dirty trick up his sleeve.

"Let's see if a human being can catch a speeding bullet mid air and survive, shall we?" Shade smirked as the audience gasped. "I need a volunteer. Who would like to give this pistol a try?"

 _This is it._ Spot though, _it's now or never._ He raised his hand. A few others in the audience did the same.

"Vivienne," Shade said. "This gentleman in the front row looks like he's dying for the chance to get up on stage." He gestured towards Spot who stood up.

Vivienne descended the steps into the audience and she took Spot's arm.

"I'm sorry, Spot," she whispered.

"It's ok, Prima. I know this isn't your doing."

She looked at him. "You remember me?" They slowly made their way to the stage.

"Yeah," Spot smiled a little. "You look more like yourself than you did in October."

Prima blushed a little. She was wearing less makeup than back then, favoring a more natural look like Chase. But as much as she liked Spot, Prima had a mission to accomplish.

"Listen to me, Spot. After this trick Chase is going to go back to Medda's dressing room with Maddie- er, Spark." Prima whispered quickly out of the corner of her mouth. "When the trick is over there's gonna be the curtain call. Shade will take a long time giving his final bows so take that time and meet the girls around back and run."

"What?"

"It's the only chance you'll get. Just take it." she said.

He looked at her. "Thank you," Spot could see a dull purple shadow underneath Prima's eye. A bruise she tried to conceal with makeup. Spot clenched his fist. To think that Shade would go as far as hit his own sister. It made him sick. "What's gonna happen to you?"

"I'll be fine." But the tears sparkling in her eyes told a different story.

No, Spot had to continue with the plan. To save two girls and leave another in danger… He wouldn't be able to live with himself.

Prima and spot came to the center of the stage to Shade and Chase.

"Thank you, sir for your participation." Shade held out his hand.

Spot shook his hand without breaking eye contact with Shade.

"Tight grip," Shade remarked. "Now," he said turning back to the audience. "On to the trick." He handed Spot the pistol. "And just to make things interesting, my beautiful assistant Roselia will expertly catch the bullet."

"What?" Both Spot and Prima asked. Obviously Shade hadn't let Prima in on his ideas.

"It's the twist." Shade took Chase's hand and kissed it, letting his lips linger for a second.

As soon as Shade gave a hint of releasing she snatched her hand back. She already knew about Shade's "twist". He had told her in secret earlier. She held the bullet in her hand. The one she was supposed to "catch". It was a simple enough trick. The gun would be unloaded so no harm would be done. She just wanted to get it over with so she could escape and eat some real food. And actually get some sleep. She nodded at Spot. _Just do it,_ she thought and she tried to smile, _It will be ok._

While Shade took his time kissing Chase's hand, Spot had the perfect moment to slip a penny down the barrel of the pistol. Spot had never (intentionally) killed a person in his life. He had only one shot to do this.

"Are you ready, my lady?" Shade asked. Chase curtsied, her smile remained but her eyes were dark. "Are you ready, sir?"

Spot nodded slowly, not taking his eyes off of Chase.

"Then let's begin!"

Spot lifted his arm slowly, pointing the gun at Chase. He took a breath, his finger on the trigger.

 _Three… Two… One-_

At the last second Spot turned the gun on Shade and pulled the trigger.

BANG!

The sound was deafening, in fact, Spot's ears were ringing. A few people in the audience screamed because of the sound. Spot's hand hurt for some reason. He looked down and saw that the gun was gone. Or at least, most of it was. Spot was still holding part of it, but the barrel was gone and his right hand was bleeding badly. As the puff of smoke in front of him cleared, Spot saw Chase with both hands to her mouth. Her eyes were as wide as saucers.

The audience was silent. Was this part of the show?

"Clever, Conlon." Shade said as he wiped the blood dripping from his lip. He had been hit with shrapnel. "I gotta say I did not expect that."

Spot dropped the gun, or what was left of it. The gun had exploded. But why? There were lots of ways a gun could malfunction. Too much powder? Or maybe there were two projectiles in the barrel...

"You," Spot said clutching his bloodied right hand. "You were gonna have me kill her!"

Shade smiled. "Brilliant plan, wasn't it?"

"Why, Shade? Why are you doin' this?"

"Because you killed my brother."

"FIRE!" Someone screamed. The red velvet curtain had caught fire from the explosion.

* * *

Helen's voice was growing hoarse from all of the screaming. It was no use. She would have to wait until after the show. But by then it might be too late.

Earlier Helena had tried picking the lock using a hairpin. She remembered that one of Skittery's friends, Swifty, had mentioned in passing that hairpins were useful tools for breaking and entering. Not that he had ever tried, _of course_. But it was too dark in the closet and she kept dropping or breaking the pins.

Helena sat back. She needed to preserve her voice for when the audience exited.

The closet started to feel warm and stuffy. _It's my imagination. I just need to calm down._

she took a few deep breaths and closed her eyes.

What was that smell? It reminded her of the them when the Newsies used old newspapers as kindling at the lodging house. The ink burned bitter and smoke filled the room-

The music stopped abruptly. Helena heard a muffled scream and then the sound of a hundred people stampeding out of the theatre.

Irving Hall was on fire.

Helena banged on the closet door and screamed at the top of her lungs.

"Someone! Please!" The commotion was evidence that no one was listening.

* * *

The audience was in uproar as they scrambled to escape impending blaze.

Shade and Spot ignored the chaos and continued their standoff.

"That was an accident!" Spot exclaimed. "And your brother killed Brooks!"

Shade shook his head, reaching into his jacket. He pulled out another pistol. Shade grabbed Chase's arm and pushed her down in front of him.

"It's time Brooklyn came into a new era. Out with the old." He pointed his gun at the couple.

Spot helped Chase up immediately and put himself in front of her.

"How romantic. Just think, Conlon, how much little Rosie will cry when you're dead. I'll leave her alive just long enough to see you take your last filthy breath and then you can both go to hell where you belong!"

Just as Shade pulled the trigger, Prima grabbed his arm.

"NO!" she screamed as the twins fought over the gun.

BANG!

For Spot it was like time had slowed. Everything seemed far away and blurry. Like he was in a tunnel. He felt an itch in his right leg.

Shade cursed. The bullet had shot low thanks to Prima. He shoved her off the stage. She hit her head hard on one of the chairs.

Spot tried to remain standing but his head started to feel fuzzy. He went down.

"Spot!" Chase cried, kneeling by his side. There was so much blood. "Wake up, Spot!" She slapped his face a few times but he wasn't showing a sign of stirring. A little relief washed over her as she felt his pulse.

"How sweet," Shade said, cocking his pistol once more. "Star crossed lovers. But it's such a cliche, don't you think?."

"How dare you!" Chase said. "Killing us isn't going to bring your brother back!"

"Couldn't hurt, could it? Besides, it's called revenge, Sweetheart." Shade pointed the gun at Spot to finish the job and he pulled the trigger. There was a faint clicking sound but no bullet. Shade cursed again. He must have given Spot the fully loaded gun by accident. "Oh well," Shade said as he threw the gun aside. "This might be better. You're going to suffer the way I suffered."

Chase stood in front of Spot.

Shade smirked. "Ladies first, then." And he took a swing.


	23. Chapter 23

"And they lived happily ever after. The end." With nothing else to do Skittery and Crutchy, who had also stayed home, were reading the younger boys some of the books Story and David lent them. As Skittery turned the page to the next story, he heard the sound of emergency bells outside. He bolted up and ran to the window.

"What's happenin', Skittery?" Crutchy asked.

Skittery saw a red wagon with a few men on it being pulled by a horse. A dalmatian ran beside it.

"A fire truck," he answered.

In the distance was a pillar of smoke. It was a shame the fire wasn't closer. Skittery would have loved to see the firefighters in action. At least it would make a good headline tomorrow.

"Hey," said Crutchy. He was now standing next to Skittery, looking out the window. "Ain't that near Medda's theatre?"

"Oh no." Crutchy was right. Helena and Story were both in danger. "Watch the kids for me, will ya?"

Skittery ran right out the door and down the lodging house steps. If he cut through Central Park he might be able to make it.

* * *

Thanks to Denton, the police were already on the scene. The newsies helped as many people as they could get out of the building quickly. They gathered together behind the circle of police officers and firefighters.

"Is this everyone?" Denton asked, taking a quick count.

Spark escaped the theatre out the back exit when she heard the screaming, although she didn't know what was going on. Were Shade's guys attacking? They wouldn't do that with civilians around, right? Spark darted through the shadows. If there was a brawl going on inside she would have to tell the police and pray that they would believe her. Although this wasn't the first time Irving Hall was the site of a riot. As Spark rounded the corner she saw a circle of police officers. Someone had beat her to it. Beyond the officers was a large crowd of people panicking and milling around. The audience.

Spark ignored the intense pain in her ankle, although she did limp quite badly as she ran toward the crowd. But she was free! If she could just get to her friends everything would be alright.

As soon as she saw them tears began flowing down her cheeks.

"Mush!" she cried, running into his arms.

"Spark," He embraced her tightly, his tears wetting her fair hair. "I was so worried about you."

"I-I th-th-thought I'd n-n-n-never s-see you again," Spark said through her rather violent sobbing.

When the others noticed Spark's return they surrounded her and Mush.

"Welcome back, Spark." Said Racetrack, offering a small smile.

Blink started. "Lemme just say you did great up there-" He promptly received a smack on the head from Jack.

"Madeleine!" Story exclaimed using her sister's full name. A very rare occurrence.

"Theresa," Spark said, squeezing her tightly. Both sisters were now crying uncontrollably.

"Where's Roselia?" Mush asked suddenly.

Spark's eyes widened. "I thought she woulda come out the front with yous and Spot." Spot wasn't present either.

"Oh, no." Story said, her tear stained face turning pale.

"Where's Helena?" Denton asked.

"Chase and Spot are missin' too." Jack said over the commotion.

Denton approached an officer as calmly as he could. "I have to get back in there." He said. "There are children still inside."

"I'm sorry, sir, for your safety I can't let anyone in. Hopefully they'll make it out on their own. If not…" The officer trailed off. "It's too dangerous to make any of my men go in. All we can do is put out the fire right now."

"They're just kids!" Denton exclaimed.

"My sister is in there!" Mush cried angrily.

"I'm sorry, sir, there's nothing I can do."

* * *

Skittery ran up to his friends. He sighed with relief when he saw that Story was safe.

"What's goin' on?" He saw the flames growing. A few windows on the sides of the building shattered suddenly. Denton was arguing with some police officers. "Is everyone out?"

"No," Story answered with tears in her eyes. "Chase and Spot and Helena are still in there."

"What?!" The fire was blazing. If they didn't get out in a few minutes they would all be dead. Helena would be dead. Why wasn't anyone doing anything?

Without another thought Skittery slipped past the the distracted police officers.

"Skittery, no!" Story screamed. She cared about him. That gave him a little more courage.

"Hey, you can't go in there!" an officer said, but they made no move to catch him. _Nice job protecting the citizens of Manhattan._ Skittery thought.

The flames hadn't reached the lobby yet, but Skittery's vision was clouded with the thick smoke that was filling the room and he could feel the heat of the fire. He had to focus and find Helena. Spot could take care of Chase on his own, he'd done it before, after all.

Skittery looked around. No sign of Helena in the lobby. He had to get into the theatre and pray that she was still alive (and that he could get both of them out safely). Suddenly, he heard a banging sound coming from the coat closet to his right.

"Is someone there?" He heard a muffled voice answer. "I'm gonna get you out."

Hopefully whoever it was could hear him. The door was locked and Skittery doubted he would be able to find the key in time. The only thing left to do was break the lock. It took five tries but Skittery finally kicked the handle down. As soon as the lock was broken the door burst open and someone fell into Skittery's arms. Looking down he recognized Helena's dark curls.

"Skittery!" she exclaimed, tears streaming down her face. "I thought I was going to die." She continued sobbing into his chest.

"Shhhh... It's alright," he stroked her hair. He could feel a few tears running down his own cheeks. "You're safe now. What happened-"

Out of the corner of his eye he saw movement. He looked and saw a girl wheezing, leaning against the doorway. He could see that a bloom of red blood stained her light blonde hair. Skittery and Helena ran to her.

"Chase?" but it wasn't her. Skittery didn't recognise this girl.

"No," she responded, it seemed like she was kind of dazed. "Chase is still in there. Spot's been shot and my brother's gonna kill them!" The girl went into a fit of coughing due to the smoke.

"Alright," said Skittery, "Helena, help this girl get outside. Your uncle and friends are waiting for yous."

"What are you going to do?" Helena asked.

"I'm gonna go in there and save Chase and Spot."

Helena saw the determined look in his eye and she knew there was nothing she could do to stop him. "Ok, be safe." To go in and save two of the people he claimed to hate the most…

"I will," he said.

As Skittery turned to go he felt a tug at his sleeve.

"One more thing," Helena said.

"Wha-"

Helena threw her arms around Skittery's neck and kissed him. He was absolutely stunned. After a second he closed his eyes. It was the best kiss he'd ever had. Skittery could feel tears running down his cheek but he couldn't tell whether they were Helena's or his own.

Helena let go and looked up at Skittery, crying and smiling at the same time.

Suddenly the ceiling shifted above them.

"Yous gotta get outta here!" He said remembering where he was. The blonde girl was still dazed as she stood next to them. She was busy staring at the orange flames which were beginning to reach the lobby.

Helena nodded wiping away a tear and taking one last look at Skittery. She took the girl's arm and slung it around her shoulders. "What is your name?" She asked her.

"Vivienne,"

Skittery made sure the girls got out safely. He turned back to the theatre entrance. With a quick prayer he ran in. The room was filled with flames and smoke. The stage curtains and scenery were ablaze and the fire was spreading elsewhere in the room. The chandeliers shook from the heat, crystals and light bulbs were falling down like rain.

* * *

Chase remembered that she still had the knife Spot had gotten her for Christmas. She reached into her bodice (the only place in the sparse costume she could conceal it) and she flicked the blade open. As Shade came at her again she slashed his cheek. A line of blood began dripping down his face.

Growling, he countered, kicking Chase's hand and sending the knife flying through the air.

"Ahh!" Chase backed away clutching her hand.

She dodged two more punches from Shade as she hovered around Spot's motionless form.

Shade swung at Chase, connecting with her cheek. She staggered back a few steps but it wasn't enough to knock her down. She remained shielding Spot. Chase lunged at Shade but she missed. He was too fast and strong for her. He hit her again.

"You ready to quit yet, Chase? You can't protect him like this forever." Shade laughed.

Chase wiped the blood away from her lip, putting up her fists she said, "I could do this all day."

She coughed, the smoke was starting to get to her. She grabbed Spot's arm and tried dragging him away from the stage but Shade was quick. He pushed her off the stage and into the audience seats like he had done to his sister.

Chase shakily tried to stand right away, coughing as she did. The room was spinning. Someone caught her from behind. She twisted out of his grip and swung at him dizzily.

"Hey, it's just me." Upon second glance she saw who it was.

"Skittery!" He was the last person she had expected to see here.

"Are you ok?" he asked.

"I am," she said weakly. Skittery held onto her waist to steady her. "But we have to save Spot!"

Chase and Skittery looked up at the stage. Shade had his knee on Spot's chest. He held a pistol by the barrel to strike Spot. Skittery jumped onto the stage and shoved Shade away from Spot.

"I'll fight him! You just get yourself and Spot out of here!" Skittery said as he pinned Shade down. "So you must be Shade," said Skittery.

Shade smirked. "And you must be the guy that lost Chase and Spark. Nice job."

Chase grabbed Spot's arms and dragged him off the stage. He was heavy, like dead weight. She shuddered, trying not to cry. _Heaven forbid,_ she thought.

Skittery clocked Shade right in the nose.

"Alright, I can play your game," said Shade. "It's your life anyway." Shade struck Skittery in the face with the butt of the pistol and pushed him away.

Skittery saw stars. He shook his head to clear his vision. There was a creaking sound. Looking up, he saw that the beams above were beginning to shift. Shade took the moment of distraction to punch Skittery in the face once more. He made to jump off the stage to Spot and Chase but Skittery countered his movements, pushing Shade farther upstage. There was another creaking sound and the smoke was growing even thicker. This time a flaming piece of the the ceiling fell in front of Skittery. He kicked it aside and lunged at Shade again.

More than half of the room was now on fire. Whole chandeliers began falling and oil lamps were exploding left and right. Chase heard the roof creak above her. She screamed, shielding Spot with her body as a beam fell. It just barely missed them.

"Chase!" Skittery exclaimed, landing another punch on Shade.

"W- We're alright!" Chase stammered and she continued trying to escape.

The two boys wrestled, fists flying. Shade kicked Skittery into the flaming stage scenery.

"You're pathetic!" Shade said. "You couldn't even keep two little girls safe!"

Skittery expertly blocked Shade's next punch. "Hey, everybody makes mistakes." He said, pulling back his fist to strike. Shade had him cornered. "It won't happen again."

Just then there was another creak close by. As Skittery looked up Shade slammed him against the wall. He pressed hard on Skittery's neck, suffocating him.

"Are you ready to die tonight?" Shade asked, the flames illuminating his evil grin.

The ceiling creaked again.

"A-are," Skittery choked. "A-are y-you?" He smiled. He gathered all of the strength he could and he pushed Shade away one last time, just as a beam fell from the ceiling above. The beam landed on Shade's chest, trapping him. He struggled against the heavy weight.

Skittery leaped over Shade and off the stage as he heard even more creaking sounds. The ceiling was going to come down any moment.

"No!" Shade clawed and screamed as more flaming debris fell. "NOOOOO!" His eyes were wide as he thrashed. After a moment the screaming finally stopped.

Skittery rushed to Chase and Spot who were about halfway through the theatre. Chase was sobbing and coughing at the same time. She was really struggling.

"It's ok, we can do this together," He said. "And don't cry, you'll exhaust yourself."

Chase smiled and gave him a playful whack. "Thank you, Skittery."

"Any time." The two of them grabbed Spot's arms and together they dragged him outside of the theatre.

Chase and Skittery gasped for breath as they made it out into the fresh air. The last thing they remembered was the sound of emergency bells and a very loud crowd of people rushing towards them. And then darkness consumed them.

* * *

 **A/N: This was a fun but hard chapter to write. There is just so much going on! I'll talk more about writing this in my bonus chapters. Did you catch my "Captain America" reference in this chapter? There is also a "Hannah Montana" reference if you're watching closely...**


	24. Chapter 24

"There's no need to cry, Rosie." said someone.

"He's right," said a female voice. "The surgery went well. He should come to any moment now, although he will be a little drowsy from the morphine we gave him."

"I- I know," a girl sobbed. "I j-just c-can't stop."

Spot's eyelids felt really heavy. Maybe just five more minutes of sleep? He had a really bizarre dream last night, although he didn't remember most of it, just little pieces. There was music and some fire and gunshots... It probably all came from hanging around Jack Kelly too much, with all his talk about the wild West and Santa Fe.

Spot was too comfortable to wake up. But he had to get up and sell some papes so he could eat tonight. Maybe if he sold a lot he would have enough money to take Chase out on a real date… He didn't want to be late picking up his newspapers… Spot started drifting off again. His bed was unusually soft and warm this morning.

 _No!_ He really needed to wake up. Chase would be waiting for him if he took too long.

 _But wait,_ he thought, _Chase was still missing, wasn't she?_ Or was _that_ a dream? Spot wasn't sure what was real. He felt strange, like he was floating.

He heard a girl crying again. _This is weird,_ he thought. Girls usually didn't come to the Brooklyn boys' lodging house at this hour. _Maybe I'm still dreaming._ Chase had taught him that as a gentleman it was his job to find out what was wrong, dream or not. It was the least he could do.

"W-what's a matter?" Spot blinked at the blindingly bright light. His vision was still a little bit blurry.

"Spot!" the girl exclaimed, practically tackling him.

"Miss, you need to give him some space." the nurse cautioned.

She wasn't listening. She just laid her head on Spot's chest and sobbed, but this time she cried tears of joy.

"What's goin' on?" Spot asked. This wasn't his room. Where were the bunks? Where was his cane? He could see the silhouettes of several people surrounding his bed.

"You're in the hospital, Spot." someone said. Spot recognized Jack Kelly's voice.

"...Why...?" And more importantly, why was some girl sprawled across him crying? Spot bolted upright. A sharp pain reverberated in his head. "Ah!"

"Be careful," said the nurse. "Don't push yourself too hard."

After the pain subsided Spot returned to the matter at hand. Instinctively he stroked the girl's hair. Wavy blonde hair, like Chase.

"Chase!" Spot cried. It was her. It was really her! "This ain't a dream, right? Please- please tell me this ain't a dream." Almost immediately tears started flowing down his cheeks. He didn't even think to be embarrassed as the people around him watched. He really hoped it wasn't a dream.

"No, this is real." Chase squeezed him tighter. "You're back. You're safe." She finally released him to give him some space.

"Shouldn't that be my line?" Spot quipped.

He looked around and saw his friends were the ones surrounding his bed. David, Jack, and Mush stood to Spot's left, behind Chase. Spark and Story were at the foot of the bed, their eyes were red and puffy like they'd been crying. Denton was speaking to the doctor and nurses behind the group. They all looked a mess, sporting black soot marks on their faces and clothing, and they all had dark circles under their eyes as if they hadn't slept.

Someone sat in a comfortable looking chair in the corner of the room but Spot couldn't tell who it was.

"Welcome back, Spot," Said Mush. "Happy New Year."

"I'm just glad I don't have to take on Brooklyn for ya," said Jack.

Spot rolled his eyes. "Not in a million years." Now that he was fully awake and his vision was clear he got a better look at Chase. "What happened to you? And what are you _wearing_?"

"Last night was-" Chase blushed, looking down at her feet. She pulled the jacket she was wearing closer, crossing her arms in front to hide her scandalous dress. Spot could see a crisscross of bandages wound tightly around her right hand. Her hair was disheveled, half was pinned up while random, tangled strands here and there cascaded down her shoulders and wilting rosebuds hung at odd angles. Tracks of tears and kohl stained her cheeks and purple bruises darkened her right eye and her jaw. A stark contrast to her fair skin. Her bottom lip was cut. Her white stockings were torn badly and stained by soot and dark splatters of blood.

Spot looked back to the foot of the bed. He saw that Spark looked much the same (minus the bruises and blood), with one of the boys' jackets hiding a very short and low cut dress.

"Spot," Chase began again slowly, "What do you remember?"

Spot closed his eyes for a second, trying to think. "I was sittin' in the front row at Medda's theatre." That's right… Last night was that show Medda's theatre. "I was watchin' you on stage and then Shade did some magic tricks…"

Chase nodded. Spot looked down. His right hand was tightly bandaged like Chase's the only difference was that blood was starting to seep through his bandages.

"The bullet catch." Spot's eyes widened. "I- I was shot last night, wasn't I?"

"Mhmm…" Chase nodded again, holding back tears. "W-when Shade's plan for you to kill me during the trick didn't work he- he shot you. If it wasn't for Prima tackling him, you would probably be..." She couldn't hold back any longer. Chase buried her face in Spot's chest and cried.

"Prima…" Spot said, remembering more details from the night before as he absentmindedly stroked Chase's tangled hair. "Is she safe?"

"Yeah," David said.

"She and Helena are at our lodgin' house," Jack added. "Snoddy's takin' real good care a' her."

A few of the newsies laughed a little. After she and Helena escaped the burning theatre Prima, dazed and in shock, had clung to the sleeve of the first boy she saw, which was Snoddy. The normally cool and aloof newsie was considerably flustered as he guided her to the ambulance. When she was later released from the hospital he walked with her back to Manhattan's lodging house.

"Oh, good- And Shade," Spot said abruptly. "What happened to Shade?"

"Dead." Someone said.

The person in the chair came forward and joined the boys. It was Skittery.

"Really?" Spot gaped. "Did I-?" He vaguely remembered pointing the gun at Shade.

"No, Spot," Jack said. "Believe it or not Skittery was the one who finally did him in."

Jack smacked Skittery's back. Skittery stiffened at the pain, shooting Jack a vexed look.

"Ah, sorry." said Jack.

Spot saw that Skittery was in a similar condition to Chase. Spots of blood stained his clothes and a few holes were charred through his shirt. He had a particularly bad gash on his head. Bands of gauze were wound around his forearms. Spot thought he could see the the print of a person's hand in the dark bruises on Skittery's neck.

The newsies recounted the events of the night before after Spot had blacked out and the audience left the theatre to escape the fire, leaving Chase on the stage to fight for her life. Skittery explained how he had seen the smoke from the Manhattan lodging house and how he ran immediately to the theatre, that he snuck past the police and firefighters to enter the burning building where he found Helena locked in the coat closet. He left out the part about their kiss.

The room was silent as the group listened to Chase and Skittery retell the details of Shade's final demise. It was a horrible way to die but Shade was an equally horrible guy.

Spot stared at Skittery for a moment. Finally he said, "Thank you." Two words Skittery never expected to come out of the King of Brooklyn's mouth.

He looked down. "Uh, you're- you're welcome."

"So," Spot said breaking an awkward silence that began to fill the room. "When can I get outta here?" He sat up slowly this time so his head wouldn't hurt again.

The newsies all shared a look. Many of them turned their eyes to the floor.

"Um, Spot..." Chase said shifting uncomfortably. "It's probably going to be a little while before you can leave."

"...And why is that?"

Spot followed her gaze down to the bed where the rumpled sheets lay over his legs. Spot's eyes stopped at a glint of silver. He pushed away the sheets. Like his hand, his left leg was also bandaged up, a red splotch of blood bloomed in the middle of his calf. On top of the bandages was a shiny metal brace. Like the one Chase wore after the Rally.


	25. Epilogue

**February 14, 1900**

"Close your eyes!" Chase said.

"Why do I gotta do that?" Spot asked.

The couple was sitting on a bench in Central Park.

"Just do it." She whined.

Spot obeyed, closing his eyes. "I still don't understand why I-" In the middle of his sentence Chase shoved something in his mouth. "What the heck?" He opened his eyes.

"It was sweet. Really sweet. Like nothing Spot had ever tasted before.

"So…" Chase watched him expectantly.

"Mmm…" Spot said. "It's good. What is it?"

"Chase pulled a little brown paper bag out from behind her back. "They're Lancaster Caramels. My parents used to buy them for me every year on Valentine's Day so I thought..." She trailed off.

"Then why are you givin' them to me? Oh-" Oh no. Spot's eyes widened. He glanced down at the newspaper for the date. February 14th. Valentine's Day. He had never had a girl so he never needed to think about Valentine's day before. Spot looked around. There certainly were a lot of couples out today. Even some of the newsies were paired up with their girls.

"I knew you would forget," said Chase.

"Chase, I'm sorry I just-"

"It's alright," she smiled. "It's been a crazy month."

Spot nodded as he put his arm around her, reflecting. He had spent the better part of January in the hospital in Manhattan healing from his gunshot wound. Luckily Shade's bullet hadn't gone all the way through. If it had it may have completely shattered his bone or damaged a muscle and Spot would likely not have been able to walk again. At best he would be permanently crippled. But it was just a fracture, a dead painful one, but much easier to heal nonetheless. Morphine had been a gift from God, although Spot was a little disappointed he didn't get to drink any whiskey during his hospital stay. The nurses had informed him that this was a _proper_ hospital and that they used _real_ medicine instead of relying on alcohol to subdue pain.

"We should probably get going," Chase said looking at the setting sun. "We don't want to miss them."

She stood up and offered Spot her hand.

"Non, merci." He said simply. "Je ne pas besoin d'aide."

Chase gaped at him. " Where did you learn that?"

"You talk in your sleep."

Chase smacked him on the shoulder. "And how would you know that?"

"I'm kiddin', I'm kiddin'." Spot laughed. "Actually I been readin' that French book a' yours. 'The Count of Whatever or Somethin''.

"'The Count of Monte Cristo'," she said. So that's where her book had gone. "Your pronunciation is really good..."

Spot looked at the crutch reluctantly. He now understood how Chase had felt all of those months. He could never get used to it, but he still needed it. He leaned on the crutch as he stood up from the bench, eye to eye with Chase (almost, Spot was just a little bit taller). He pulled her close.

"Je t'adore ma chérie."

Laughing at her stunned expression Spot kissed her. A faint blush colored her cheeks.

"Alright," He said. "Now we can go."

"Wait," Chase said. "You go on to Manhattan ahead of me."

"Why?"

"I just remembered I promised Prima I would help her with something tonight. I'll catch up with you later."

"I don't want you goin' alone." Spot said firmly crossing his arms.

"I will be fine," Chase said. "Need I remind you I walked back and forth from Brooklyn to Manhattan _all_ _by myself_ every day for over a month."

Since Shade's death there had been no more reports of newsies being followed or chased. After the fire the police easily caught and arrested Weasel and the Delancey Brothers. It turned out that Weasel _didn't,_ in fact, have any knowledge of Chase and Spark's kidnapping or that they were being held in the basement of the circulation building. Much to the Manhattan newsies' chagrin, he was released and they still had to see his ugly face every morning when they went to buy papes. But the Delancys would be going on trial soon. This was their second (recorded) criminal offence so the newsies hoped to find justice. The "shadows" were also arrested (it was quite simple for the police to find teenage boys with such "unique" dark hair; the shoe polish didn't wash out so easily).

Even though he told her not to, Chase sold papers for Spot while he was in the hospital, purchasing two-hundred copies of "The World" each day. She visited him in Manhattan every day, bragging that she was probably the most successful newsie in Brooklyn history, and possibly all of New York as she single-handedly pushed over a thousand papers a week without any leftover. Not even Jack or David could say that. What was even more amazing was that she was able to balance that, working in Medda's show (temporarily moved to her friend's theatre while Irving Hall was being rebuilt), and running Brooklyn while the king was gone.

"I will be fine," Chase repeated, moving in close to kiss him again. She then leaped back brandishing Spot's gold handled cane. "Especially if I have this!"

"Hey!" Spot patted his side where the cane usually resided in his belt loop.

Chase stuck her tongue out at him and laughed. Mastering the art of misdirection was one good thing that had come out of Shade's show (although she really didn't like to think about it). She swung the cane around, easily dancing out of Spot's reach and taking advantage of his incapacitated state. He reached out and grabbed her around the waist as she twirled, but Spot's hold on his crutch slipped. The two tumbled onto the ground in a muddled heap.

"Oh!"Chase exclaimed as she tried sitting up, her hair yanked back. She looked up to see Spot splayed over her, his right arm trapped under her while his left pinned tendrils of her hair to the ground. A man walking by raised an eyebrow at their 'intimate' position.

"S- Sorry!" Spot said reeling back.

They untangled themselves from each other in a rather ungraceful fashion, both blushing furiously as they did.

"Right," Chase said, smoothing her tousled hair. She quickly stood up and offered Spot his crutch.

"I told you I don't need any help," He asserted.

Chase shook her head. "You know, they say 'Pride goeth before the fall...'."

Spot smirked. "Yeah, well my pride cometh after the fall." He winced as he got to his knees, his injured leg throbbed.

"Just let me help you."

"Fine..."

Spot took Chase's hand when she offered it. He stood up carefully, trying not to show the pain. Chase handed him his crutch.

"Was that so hard?"

Spot grunted in response.

"Spark, Story, Prima, and I will meet you in Manhattan in a few hours," Chase promised. She offered him the paper bag of caramels. "And if anyone dares come near us I'll-"

"Work 'em over?"

"Until they're black and blue." Chase said as she slipped Spot's cane into the ribbon on her dress.

"That's my girl," Spot said./p  
"So then I can go?"/p  
He sighed. "Fine," he said as he took the bag of candy from her./p  
]"Good, because I was going to go anyway." She smirked./p  
Spot shook his head as he turned to leave. How did he know she was going to say that?/p  
Chase smiled. "I love you," she called to him./p  
"Yeah, yeah…" He looked back and a small smile crept up on his face.

* * *

"You're sure it looks ok?" Prima asked.

"Yes," said Chase putting an arm around the girl's shoulders. "It does."

Both Brooklyn and Manhattan had taken Prima in almost instantly. The Casellas welcomed her back to the girls' lodging house with open arms. She fit in with everyone very well. The newsies were surprised that Prima didn't mourn the death of her twin brother. She was surprised herself. Yes, she loved him and she missed him. But she didn't miss the dark, twisted man he had become. She missed the kind twin brother she had grown up with. The one who loved to perform because it made him happy, not the one who did everything in the name of revenge. Michael, not Shade. Just like she missed Alexander, not Myth.

At first she was worried about living at the Brooklyn girls' lodging house. She didn't think she would be able to bear seeing Chase and Spot together. After seeing him the night of the show Prima realized that her feelings towards him hadn't changed much in the four years since she'd been forced to join her brother's gang. The hatred that she had tried to harbor for him wasn't founded on much. But she knew that she had no chance with the king of Brooklyn. He and Chase were madly in love with each other, and although two months ago Prima would have jumped at the chance to split them up, she had become good friends with Chase, who had instantly forgiven her for the pain she had put them through. Prima was resigned to the fact that the king and queen of Brooklyn would be together forever.

Prima looked nervous. "I don't think I can do this," she said.

"It'll be fine," Story said.

"Yeah," said Spark. " _He_ will love it!"

"Prima paled at the thought. "Just- Just tell the boys I couldn't come because of- because of my menses."

"I am _not_ going to tell them that!" Chase said, appalled that Prima would mention such a thing.

"I can't do it!" She turned to leave but not before Spark had the chance to push her into the lodging house as Story opened the door.

Prima stumbled inside, pitching into the arms of an unsuspecting newsboy. The other girls followed closely behind. Conversation in the Manhattan lodging house ground to a halt as the newsies stared at the girls, specifically Prima.

""I'm sorry-" Prima stopped when she saw who had helped her to her feet. It was Snoddy.

She drew back, completely mortified. She wished she could bolt out of the lodging house but Story stood leaning on the closed door.

It was a shock for the newsies to see Prima's once bleach blonde hair turned a dark sable brown. It made sense though. Shade was her twin brother, and the two had the same silver gray eyes, so why wouldn't they have the same color hair?

Since she moved back to the girls' lodging house Prima had sworn off using hydrogen peroxide on her hair. It would take a while but she was determined to grow her dark hair back, the way it was supposed to be. Chase, Spark, and Story had noticed that she would often frown at her reflection in the mirror, staring at the dark roots that were beginning to grow in. One morning Spark actually heard her whisper to herself that she looked like a "cheap floozy from the Bowery" before putting on her hat. Chase, Story, and Spark had saved up enough money to purchase her a bottle of Circassian hair dye (at Medda's recommendation). They had presented it to her as a gift for Epiphany, even though Epiphany had been two weeks before and Prima insisted that she was not Catholic. It took a few weeks but the girls had managed to convince Prima to let them color her hair. After the deed was done Chase had tied Prima's hair up in rags to curl it and the girls lent her some purple ribbons.

The silence was unbearable.

Snoddy reached out and touched a lock of Prima's hair. She flinched and he dropped it like it had burned him.

Chase shot her brother a look from across the room. He was standing by the poker table gaping like the rest of the boys.

Oh, um- Hi'ya girls." He said finally.

After the silence was broken it seemed like the whole room exhaled. Chase laughed a little. It was just hair, after all.

The girls received a few more Hi's from various places in the room.

"Have yous started yet?" Spark asked as she skipped over to Mush. The couple leaned in for a kiss.

"We're gettin' to that if yous spare us from watchin' yous kiss anymore," Racetrack said, not looking up as he shuffled the cards. If it was possible, since the kidnapping Spark and Mush had become even more amorous. "By the way, your hair looks real good, Prima."

"Oh, thanks." Prima said quietly.

With that the newsies went back to their own business. Story grabbed David's hand and they curled up next to the fire with one of David's books. Spark sat in her usual spot at the poker table between Mush and Racetrack. Chase winked at Prima and then joined Spot on the couch where he had fallen asleep reading her book. She smiled remembering how exhausted she had been after selling all day leaning on that crutch.

Everyone had dispersed, leaving Prima and Snoddy standing in the foyer. Prima wished she could run away.

"Race is right," Snoddy said finally. "Your hair looks good."

"You- You think so?" Prima stammered, smiling a little.

Snoddy reached out and brushed a lock out of her eyes. His hand lingered a moment. "Yeah, it suits you."

* * *

News of the fire had traveled fast. Within days of the incident Helena was on a train back to Philadelphia. When Helena's parents found out about Chase and Spark's kidnapping and the fire they made their only child return home. She had cried the whole way back.

"I knew we shouldn't have sent you to that city!" Her mother had said. "It's much too dangerous for a young woman like you."

Helena and her father had shared a glance. In fact, it had been her mother's idea to send her to school in New York in the first place (although they both knew there was no arguing with her now). After weeks of moping around and dozens of calls and letters to her uncle Denton, Helena and her father convinced her mother to let her return to New York to continue attending Miss Trenton's school. That was the only drawback but Helena didn't care. She wanted to see her friends again.

When Denton's car pulled up to the Manhattan lodging house Helena jumped out and ran to knock on the door.

Les, Boots, Snipeshooter, and Tumbler answered the door.  
Helena!" They exclaimed in unison. The four young newsboys clamored to hug her.

The poker game behind them stopped abruptly as chairs scraped against the floor. Nearly every newsie at the lodging house crowded around.

"Get sick of your mansion, did ya?" Racetrack said.

Helena rolled her eyes. "Hi, Race."

Denton came in the door behind them. "Happy Valentine's Day," he said. He carried several thin boxes wrapped in pink and red paper. "I brought some chocolates."

"Aww, Denty ya shouldn't have," Jack teased. Sarah, who was sitting next to him at the poker table feigned an offended look. The newsies laughed and Jack planted a kiss on her cheek.

Helena loved the warmth that greeted her in the Manhattan lodging house. In the few months she had known the newsies she had learned that family was more than the people you were blood related to and your lineage. Each newsboy or newsgirl was special, regardless of who they were or where they came from. Helena entered the room slowly, taking everything in. She wanted to remember this moment forever. She was _home_.

Helena couldn't help but smile when she saw Prima and Snoddy sitting on the stairs sharing a bottle of Coca Cola. They were absolutely enamored by each other. After the way Snoddy had carefully looked after her following the fire and how Prima had relied on him, Helena had an idea that the two would develop feelings for each other.

As she passed the poker table she caught a glance at some of the newsies' cards. Sarah had a straight flush, she was probably going to win. Helena suppressed a laugh. Racetrack and Spark would not be happy about that. Sarah rarely, if ever, played cards.

Chase and Spot were on the couch together, she had her head on his chest and he had his arm around her. Both were sleeping soundly through the lively noise of the room. Their breathing was synchronized so their chests rose and fell at the same time. In this peaceful state the two looked more like young children than the powerful king and queen of Brooklyn. It was a strange thought because they were about the same age as Helena (and it was even stranger when you considered what they were like when awake).

Many of the young newsies were gathered around the fire. Story and David were in the middle of the group reading from a book of Greek myths. The story was about Persephone and Hades. One of Helena's favorites. She scanned the room for a place to sit and listen.

Helena stopped. The warm, comfortable feeling she had was replaced with a pang of anxiety. Skittery was sitting on the floor leaning against the wall. She hadn't seen him when she came in because he was hidden behind the couch. He was staring intently at the fire, watching the orange flames flickering.

"H-hi," Helena said finally.

Skittery looked up slowly. "Hey,"

"Do you mind?" She asked, gesturing to empty space on the floor next to him.

"Not at all."

He turned back to the fire and the two sat in silence for a long minute.

"Are you- are you ok?" Helena asked. She couldn't take it anymore. She had to know what was going on with him.

"Yeah," He didn't take his eyes off the flames.

"No you're not." Helena said. She took his face in her hands, making him look at her.

Skittery's startled eyes were wide. Helena blushed a little but she studied his face. Everyone else had returned to their usual cheery selves. Everyone except for Skittery. The bruises, burns, and cuts were gone but Skittery looked distressed in a way. He had dark circles under his pained eyes.

"Haven't been sleeping good," He admitted.

"Why not?"

Helena put her hands back in her lap, watching Skittery expectantly.

"Nightmares,"

"About what?"

He looked like he didn't want to answer. Helena looked down feeling guilty that she had asked. Obviously he didn't want to talk about it and it really wasn't any of her business. _But he's my friend,_ Helena thought. _And perhaps a little more..._ She quickly banished that last thought from her mind.

"I, uh-" He started. "I been dreamin' about the night of the fire and..."

"Shade?" Helena asked.

"Yeah," Skittery's voice was hollow. "You know in the Bible they say, 'Thou shalt not kill'."

"Yes that's the sixth commandment in Exodus." She said. "I didn't know you were that religious."

"I wasn't." He gave a bitter smile. "But you know it's not every day a man dies at your own hand. I ain't no Spot Conlon."

Before Helena had left Manhattan a month ago she had noticed Skittery was rather quiet. She decided to give him some space, attributing his demeanor to shock from his injuries or watching one of his fellow newsies suffer a life-threatening wound. She hadn't realized he was thinking about _this._

"A beam fell on him and he got stuck." She said. "It's not like you had much control over that."

"I didn't help, neither."

"You did the right thing," Helena affirmed.

"You sure about that?"

"Listen to me," Helena said as she leaned in. Skittery looked at her again. "Do you realize you not only prevented the deaths of Spot and Chase, but you also saved Story and the rest of your friends? Shade was evil and insane. His plan was brilliantly organized. If you had let him get away his gang could have taken Brooklyn and become worse than the 107th Street Mob."

Skittery raised an eyebrow at Helena's mention of the Mafia.

"Journalist," Helena said, rolling her eyes. New York's underworld was a taboo subject for the newsies since they lived on the streets. None of them wanted to 'disappear' if they were caught saying the wrong thing. But Helena, for one, was not afraid of talking about the Mafia or any other crime organizations that plagued New York. It was her job and her passion to know and report these things.

"...Yeah, I guess you're right..." Skittery said after a moment.

It seemed like a huge weight was lifted off of Skittery's shoulders. The tension relaxed and he looked a little more like himself again. Helena couldn't help but watch him and smile.

"So about that night-" He looked at her. After going to the hospital Skittery hadn't had the chance or the notion to talk to Helena. And then a few days later she was gone. Besides the nightmares of the fire, he kept playing back their moment in the lobby of Irving Hall in his mind again and again.

"Mhmm…" Helena looked down at the weathered old wooden floor. He meant their kiss. "It was- " she began.

But she was cut off by her uncle making an announcement.

"Everybody come in here, I want to take a picture." He set up his camera and tripod.

The scene was a familiar one, newsies shoving each other as they got into position for the photograph. Spark and Mush were trying to wake Chase and Spot.

"Come on, Rosie," Mush said.

"Hey," Said Racetrack. "If they don't wanna wake up we should all gather around and pose with them like one a' those mourning portraits the blue bloods like to do."

"Race, that's the stupidest thing I ever heard," Jack said. "What's a' matter with you?"

"It's not like it would be real..."

An argument broke out between the older boys over memento mori. This threw the room into even more chaos.

"What is going on here?" Chase stepped between Racetrack and Jack. She was slightly bleary eyed and her hair was messy.

"Oh good, you're up. Now we don't have to pretend yous dead." Racetrack quipped.

Chase put her hands on her hips. "Do I even want to know?"

There was a few more minutes of racket. Once Chase woke Spot up she and Mush had to help him over to the group because he refused to take a picture with his crutch. Instead he leaned on his cane and put his arm around Chase, leaning on her as well. It was a very tight squeeze to fit all of them in front of the fireplace, but somehow they managed. The little ones sat on the floor and the older newsies were gathered behind them.

"Since this is Valentine's day I want the couples in the middle row," Denton said, ushering them into line.

Jack and Sarah were followed by David and Story, Mush and Spark, and Chase and Spot. Prima and Snoddy shared a smile and then got into place next to Jack. It was official now. Denton took a look through the camera lens.

"No, that's not right, the balance is off now." He said. "Skittery and Helena, I need you two to stand next to Spot."

"But we're not-" Helena protested.

"The difference between a good picture and a a bad one is symmetry."

"Ok," Skittery said. He took Helena's arm and escorted her to the middle row before she knew what was going on.

"Much better," If Helena didn't know any better she could have sworn she saw a glint of mischief in her uncle's eyes.

Helena tried not to look nervous as she stood next to Skittery, their arms still linked. They were so close. She attempted to smile.

"Three... Two... One..."

"The flash lit up like a star.

"That was great, let's do another one."

As Denton set up another round of flash powder the newsies went back to talking

"So," Skittery said out of the corner of his mouth. "Back to what you were saying earlier... The um… Yeah, what was that for?"

"Right," Helena had hoped he had forgotten. She looked down at her shoes, remembering that night with a disturbing amount of vividity. "You were going into a burning building to fight that- that-"

"Scoundrel?"

"I was going to call him something much less... polite…" said Helena. "But you were determined to go in and I didn't know whether you would come out alive or not. And- and I didn't want to leave you without letting you know how I felt." She was struggling to keep her voice steady, holding back tears. "If I didn't see you again. If- if something would have happened to you… I didn't want to go on if you died without knowing that I-"

He cut her off. "What a stupid thing to say,"

"Helena blanched at his blunt tone.

He continued. "Of course you would see me again. After a kiss like that I'm afraid you're stuck with me, hon."

Helena smiled hoping her blushed cheeks wouldn't reveal the butterflies that were now swarming in her stomach. "It's a burden I'll gladly bear," She allowed herself to relax.

"I missed you," He said.

"Me too."

"You know," Skittery said after a moment. "You coulda told me sooner. You didn't need to wait for a near-death experience."

"Ha!" Helena said smacking him on the shoulder. "You 'coulda' told me before today! I've spent the entire time I've known you thinking you were in love with Story."

"Oh, that…" He stole a glance at the happy couple, frowning a little. "That wasn't gonna go anywhere."

Before Helena had a chance to feel stung, realizing she was the consolation prize, the room broke into 'Oooh's and applause. She looked over to see that David and Story were kissing. From what she knew about David and Story (and from the newsies' reactions) Helena could tell this was their first time. An uncharacteristically bold move for careful Davey.

"Alright, Dave!" Mush said over the clapping.

Helena was happy for them, but then she realized, _what would Skittery think?_ She turned back to him but before she could open her mouth to speak, Skittery put his hands on her shoulders.

"Helena," He said earnestly. "I don't love her."

"But-"

"Listen, I thought I did for a while but- but when I saw the smoke in the sky over Irving Hall all I could think of was you."

"Skittery," Helena said.

"And when Story told me you were still trapped inside..." He trailed off for a second. "I- I thought my heart was gonna break."

Helena was speechless and dizzy and relieved all at the same time. She couldn't hear the commotion of the room anymore. It was like she and Skittery were the only two there.

"I love you, Helena Denton," Skittery whispered. He stared into her crystal blue eyes, still wide from surprise. He touched her cheek, and giving a small smile he bent down and kissed her.

They stayed there for a moment, their foreheads pressed together.

"I love you too," Helena breathed. "Henry,"

Neither of them noticed the camera flash, for they were lost in each others' eyes.

* * *

A/N: And that's the end! Thank you so much for following my story. I hope you enjoyed the journey, I certainly enjoyed writing it!

This chapter was way longer than I expected it to be. There were just so many loose ends I wanted to tie up. I didn't want to leave it at the hospital scene (which was the original ending). A few little pieces of trivia now! The Lancaster Caramel Company was founded in the 1880s by Milton Hershey. Although he is best known for his chocolates (yes, those Hershey's chocolates) making his Lancaster Caramels was what first brought on his success. He even met his wife delivering a caramels order!

Circassian hair dye was sold in the late 1890s, especially for women who wanted to cover up gray hairs. If you hadn't guessed, menses is another term for menstrual cycle, an extremely taboo subject at the time.

Speaking of taboos, the 107th Street Mob (not to be confused with the 107th Street gang) was a real threat to the streets of New York in the 1890s. It was started by Giuseppe "The Clutch Hand" Morello and it was one of the first prominent Mafia gangs in America. The Morello crime family still exists today, but it's now called the Genovese crime family.

As for postmortem photography, that was a very popular thing at the time. Photographs were expensive so families wouldn't get around to taking a picture until a family member died. It was a way to remember them. At the beginning people would pose their deceased loved ones to make them look like they were alive. Often the other family members would gather around to take a group picture. By the 1890s people began to take less macabre photos of the dead, and instead they would take pictures of them in a casket or surrounded by flowers, but that doesn't mean it stopped happening.

Stay tuned for some bonus chapters! I wanted to release some of my early ideas for, "The Turn".

* * *

 **A/N Part 2: I changed a few sentences so that this story fits with the continuity of "All Bets Are Off". Basically I just made it so the Delancys haven't gone to trial yet. That's all.**


	26. Bonus: The Turn Part 1

"I'm looking for a chap by the name of Francis Sullivan. Do you know if he lives here?"

Jack and David looked at each other. No one had asked for "Francis Sullivan" before. Especially snooty looking Britts like this guy, Jack thought. Jack and David were sitting on the lodging house steps when this man, with white hair and blue eyes, fancy clothes and a British accent approached them. Jack just stared at the man for a minute, until David nudged him.

"Uh, that would be me, sir-"

"Mr. Cutter."

"Mr. Cutter," Jack added politely, but still confused. "but I prefer to go by the name, Jack Kelly."

Mr. Cutter laughed. "Just like your father."

"My father? I thought he was dead." Jack hadn't heard from his father since he was 9 years old, when his father was arrested.

"Not everything is as it seems." Mr. Cutter said, looking into the distance.

David and Jack shared a baffled glance. Neither of them quite knew what he meant by that.

"Pardon me, Just remembering old times." Cutter fiddled with his cane. "Back to business, I have something for you, boy. Something from your father."

Jack sat there stunned. He wasn't sure what he should be feeling. He loved his father at one point, but his father had been the one who had gotten himself arrested and taken away from Jack and his mother. But as hard as Jack tried, he could not hate his father.

Cutter handed Jack a small package, covered in brown paper and tied with string. "Be careful who you share that with, lad. I'm sure your father wouldn't mind. But keep an eye out. Secrets are important, but dangerous, you know." Cutter said cryptically.

"Um, thanks-" Jack looked up but Mr. Cutter was gone. "Did you see that?" Jack asked David. He thought he was going crazy.

"No," David said, a little shaken. "It was like he just vanished."

The boys didn't have time to think about what had just happened because someone else spoke.

"Hello, boys." It was Chase, Mush's adopted sister and Spot Conlon, who had his arm around her. The king and queen of Brooklyn themselves. There was something different about Chase today.

"You got that brace taken off." Jack said, Chase was beaming.

It had been nearly five months since the rally. Chase had taken a pretty bad fall off the theatre's roof that night, breaking her left leg. Medda and her husband, Mark Gallagher (the famous New York Giants baseball player) had paid for Chase's medical bills. Chase had spent the last five months walking around with a crutch, her entire leg kept straight with an uncomfortable brace. She hated it, especially because she was a dancer. She'd gotten pretty antsy not being able to dance all that time. She and Spot figured out how to get around the brace, basically Spot would swing her around the dance floor, but it wasn't the same.

"Yeah, isn't it w- ahhh!" Chase, going in for a hug, fell on Jack. Spot rushed to help her back up. He had been supporting her the whole way from Brooklyn. "I haven't quite gotten used to walking again." she smiled, embarrassed. Spot helped her sit down.

"I'm gonna go in for a quick game a' poker with the guys," Spot said to her. "you ok out here?"

"Yeah, but don't be too late. I need to be at the theatre by 5:00."

"Yeah, yeah," Spot kissed her on the head and went in the lodging house. Chase watched him, smiling, the whole time.

It was still strange for David and Jack to see Spot like this. He hadn't softened up one bit, but around Chase he was different.

"What's that you got there, Jack." Chase asked, looking at the package in his lap.

"It's from his father." David said.

"He just came here and gave it to you?" Chase hadn't heard much about Jack's past, but from living with newsies for 3 years, she figured there was a reason he didn't ever talk about it.

"No, some hoity-toity mug gave it to me." Jack stared into his lap. Seize the day, he thought, and he began pulling at the string.

"Is it a book?" David asked, he looked a little excited. David loved books. "That reminds me, where's Story?"

"She and Nick got distracted on the way here talking to Denton and some girl."

"Mush talking to another girl? I thought he and Spark were together."

"They're still an item. I think the girl is somehow related to Denton."

Jack was still staring at the contents of the package. David was right, it was a book. It looked a little worn, two inches thick bound in cracked brown leather. But it had no title on the cover. Jack picked up the book. A folded piece of paper fell out.

"What's that?" said Chase.

"Only one way to find out." said Jack.

It was a letter. A letter written in block handwriting, familiar to Jack because it was his father's handwriting.

Dear Son,

There's not a day that goes by that I don't think about you and your mother. I owe both of you answers. I know I'm too late to tell your mother and I wish there was a way to bring her back. Just the same, I can tell you. I wasn't always there for you and I hope you don't hate me. I made mistakes in my life that I would take back if I could. Let me start out by asking your forgiveness, if you'll take my apology. I know if you're anything like me, this will be extremely difficult. If you don't forgive me, and I understand if you don't, get rid of this book immediately. It will only give you unwanted trouble. Be aware that your decision to read this will put you in grave danger. Do not share it with anyone you don't trust. I know you'll make the choice your mother would be proud of. Don't ever think that I didn't love you two.

Francis Jack Sullivan

Chase and David shared a glance as they read over Jack's shoulder.

"You think it's a diary?" David asked.

Jack ignored him and opened the book. The first line read:

YVOOZ TZCV YRFDS DK KBF EKL DKWZA

Jack stared at the page for a long time, trying to make sense of the words.

"My crazy old man." Jack gave a bitter laugh, slamming the cover of the diary shut.

"Can I see that?" Chase asked. Jack looked like he was ready to throw the book in the river.

"Sure,"

Chase leafed through the pages of the diary, her brow furrowed in concentration. Jack and David watched her.

"Do you know what this is? This is a cipher."

"A what?" Jack asked, confused.

"It's all written in code."

"So it's not necessarily a bunch of gibberish." David said. "But why would he do that?"

"He said the book would get me in trouble." Jack realized.

"Whatever's written there is important, Jack." said Chase.

"If this is in code, how am I supposed to read it?" Jack was frustrated, this was exactly the he remembered his father.

Chase thought for a moment. "Jack, do you trust me?"

"Yeah," A strange question.

"How much?"

"Chase, I'd trust you with my life. Especially now that you don't need that crutch no more." Jack smiled, but he had no idea who's this had anything to do with his father's diary.

"I can translate the diary for you." she said.

"What?"

"When I was at that boarding school," Chase took a moment to shudder, "Katherine and I used ciphers all the time. The headmistress was always prying into our business. We had this book that we would use to write messages to each other. What I'm trying to say is, I can figure out the cipher and translate it for you."

"Wait, Chase," David put his hand on her shoulder. "It clearly says in that letter that the contents of this diary are dangerous. What if something happens?"

"Like what?"

"I don't know, like-"

The lodging house door opened.

"Guess what guys, I won again!" said an excited Spark.

"That's only 'cause we let ya win." Racetrack said casually.

"And when was the last time you let someone win your own game, Racetrack?" said Chase.

"Hey, the brace is gone." he said, ignoring her as he sat down next to her and lit a cigar.

"Oh, Chase. I'm so happy for you!" Spark said, picking up her friend and spinning her around.

"Be careful with her," Spot said seriously.

"I'm not a china doll, Spot."

* * *

Chase was excited to get on stage without her brace. After the strike, Medda offered her a job at her theatre. Chase would sing on the weekends after selling her papes. Story and Spark got jobs too, they danced and sung backup. She was secretly jealous of them.

Thankfully, she'd be dancing on her own in a few weeks. Once she got used to walking without the crutch. Tonight she would sit on the piano like she always did, while David played for her. Medda discovered David's talent when she caught Story and David alone together in her theatre. David was playing her a love song he heard only once. He had a great ear.

Tonight the whole audience would be newsies. Since the end of the strike, Mr. Pulitzer paid for the newsies to see vaudeville shows on the weekends. Most of them liked Medda's the best because the boys liked Chase. Spot never missed a show; partially because he loved to hear Chase sing, and partially to keep other boys' hands off her. He even made the trip to Manhattan when he had a terrible case of the flu. Chase wasn't happy about that. It could have become pneumonia.

When Chase stepped onstage (escorted by Spot Conlon himself, he wouldn't let anyone else do it) the applause was the loudest because she didn't have that brace. She had to stop herself from giggling, it was too much for her.

Skittery couldn't help himself from taking glances at the girl sitting next to him. He was sitting in the balcony to the left of the stage with his friends when Denton and his niece showed up. The only available seat was next to Skittery. She was beautiful, and Skittery used that word in particular to describe only a few girls he'd ever met.

The girl looked back at him. Skittery turned back to the stage, blushing the whole time.

"...And this is the star of the show herself, Miss Chase Meyers."Denton said to his niece.

"Pleased to meet you," said Helena, extending her hand. "You were great."

"Thank you," said Chase, sparkling. She had to restrain herself from spitting before she shook Helena's hand. Force of habit.

"Helena's going to be here for a while. She's attending a boarding school in Brooklyn for the year." Denton told them. Spot and Chase looked at each other. They both knew what school Helena would be going to, the one Chase had to run away from when she was 13. But things would probably be different there now. Especially because Mr. Snyder was behind bars.

"Where are you from?" Spot asked.

"Philadelphia. My parents didn't like the schools there so they decided to send me here where my dear Uncle Denty could keep an eye on me while I become a proper lady." Helena grimaced at the last part.

"Now you get to do what you really want to do," Denton said, "Helena wants to be a reporter. She'll be my assistant while she's here."

Finally a girl with substance. Skittery was tired of hanging around Chase and Spark, in particular. The other guys loved them (probably because they were the only girls that would pay them any mind) but Skittery got annoyed with their excessive giggling quickly. The only girl he had anything in common with was Story, but unfortunately, she was happily taken by Skittery's least favorite newsie: David Jacobs.

But wow, there was something about Helena that Skittery really liked.

Helena was very pretty. With her long, dark, wavy hair, pale skin with freckles sprinkling her nose. And her eyes, they were so blue! The powder blue dress she was wearing made them stand out even more. And she was taller than Spark and Chase. Skittery didn't like looking down at girls and he didn't like when girls had to look up at him. Chase and Spark only came up to the middle of his chest. Helena and Story were both a little less than a head shorter than him.

Helena looked like a princess, or at least, what Skittery thought a princess should look like. Story sometimes made him sit with her when Davey was gone while she read the little ones fairy tales. He wouldn't do it if it wasn't for her.

"Good job up there Chase," Skittery said, standing next to Helena. "Although, I seem to remember you going flat in that second chorus."

Spot stepped forward but Chase grabbed his wrist. The two of them glared at Skittery.

"I am never flat, Skittery." she said.

"If anyone made a mistake, it was me." said Story, sighing. "I tripped at least 4 times in our new song."

"I didn't notice anything." Helena piped up.

"Yeah, you were practically perfect." Skittery said. He took a shot at flirtation and put his hat on Story's head. She laughed, releasing a hundred butterflies in Skittery's stomach.

Jack was still bothered by what had happened with Mr. Cutter earlier. Something wasn't right about it. But he had to know. He had to know more about his father. He had to know whether his father really loved him and his mother.

Jack remembered the way he was. Always changing. One minute he was telling Jack and his mother how much he loved them and the next he was screaming at them for disrupting his work. Jack couldn't even remember what his father did for a living. He only remembered the constant mood swings. Maybe this diary would tell him how his father really felt.

"Chase, you gonna be here tomorrow?" he asked.

"Yes, me and the girls are staying at Medda's for the weekend." she smiled suspiciously. "Did you make your decision?"

"Yeah, I'll bring the diary over tomorrow."

* * *

"If anything strange happens. Anything. I want ya to give me back the diary and stop translatin'." Jack said, handing Chase the book at the lodging house the next morning.

"I'll be fine." Chase reassured him.

"I mean it. I don't wanna be responsible for puttin' you in danger."

"What about Chase bein' in danger?" Spot put his arm around her protectively, reaching for his cane.

"I'm not in any danger." she said, shrugging Spot's arm off her. If she felt like a caged butterfly before she and Spot got together, it was nothing compared to the way he treated her now.

"The princess is in danger?" Skittery said sarcastically, coming out the door. "Alert the troops. She needs protection." Story, who was sitting on the step next to David, smacked him in the leg. Skittery smirked playfully at her.

"I'm the queen actually." Chase said, crossing her arms and stepping in front of Spot, who tensed, ready to strike. Chase and Skittery's relationship was like this. They always had sarcastic words for each other. Spot went out of his mind trying to keep himself from soaking Skittery for all of the backhanded comments he said to Chase, but Chase never let him. She had a pretty sharp tongue too.

"Who said something about danger?" Mush said, pulling Chase in close for a hug. He just got his sister back. And he wasn't about to lose her again.

"You guys are paranoid." said Chase. Half of the boys probably had no idea what paranoid meant but they didn't have time to think because the circulation bell rang.

"Come on, Mush." Spark said linking arms with him. She could tell Chase was getting irritated.

Spot put his arm around Chase again, to help her get to the circulation gates.

"I can do it myself," she said.

"But what if you fall?" Spot didn't want to see his girl hurt again.

"I'll pick myself up and keep going."

Spot sighed. She was just as stubborn as he was. "You want the cane?"

"No, I don't want your cane." Just as she said that, she tripped over the curb.

"Come on, please let me help you." They locked eyes for a moment, smiling at each other. Chase couldn't say no, he truly cared about her.

"Fine."

* * *

"So what's this you're doing for Jack?" Story asked. She wasn't there last night to see the mysterious journal of Francis Sullivan Sr.

"He got a book from his father and I need to translate it."

"Is it in French?" Spark asked. She knew Chase was fluent in French, from her days at the boarding school.

"Actually, it's in code- Thank you, sir." Said Chase, handing the man a paper.

Feeling arms wrap around her, Chase let out a little scream, blushing when she saw it was Spot. Again. The other girls smiled.

"A little jumpy today, are ya?" Spot said raising his eyebrow. "Wasn't that the same guy that bought a paper from you on Lexington?"

"Have you been stalking us?"

Spot blushed a little. "I missed ya, since you're all independent now."

"Get used to it." she said, but she linked arms with Spot. Her leg was getting tired of all this walking.

"But seriously," Spot said. "I think you sold that man a paper earlier. Why would he buy another one?"

"Maybe he lost the first one." said Story.

"Yeah, it's really windy today." Spark added, buttoning up her coat. It was mid December. The newsies were waiting for the first snow to happen. They would enjoy it for about five minutes and then they would trudge along for the rest of the excruciatingly cold winter.

"I guess that's possible." Spot said pensively.

* * *

 **A/N: You'll notice that certain parts of scenes here made it into "Underworld" almost verbatim. It's interesting that veering off just a little bit makes two completely different possibilities in the end.**


	27. Bonus: The Turn Part 2

****A/N: A few things... If you want to follow the continuity of the story go back to chapter 6 of "Underworld" and read from where Les says, "It's almost Christmas.". This first stalking scene was used in both "Underworld" and "The Turn", just in different places. It is present in chapter 4 of "Underworld" on Halloween instead of Christmas like it is here. The scene is almost exactly the same for both but there are a few differences here that you might catch.****

* * *

"Yous ready to go?" Spot addressed Chase, Spark, and Story.

"Yeah, hold on a second." Spark said, jumping up from her seat at the poker table. And running into Mush's arms as they kissed.

Story and David stood up together, barely breaking eye contact for a second.

"Bye, Davey." Story said, hugging him.

"Bye, Story." He said. They stayed like that for a moment. Skittery grit his teeth, trying not to get too jealous, although that was inevitable.

"Come'ere, Hon'" Spot said, helping Chase up.

Chase raised her eyebrow at Spot. The two of them had been trying to come up with affectionate nicknames for each other, but none of them seemed to fit. All of her ideas made Spot sound like a pansy (at least to him) and Spot liked calling her either Chase (he was the one who gave her her newsie name) or (rarely) Roselia. But he felt like her given name was too pretty for him to throw around in everyday conversation.

She smiled as she took his hand. At least he was trying.

"Coming, Dear."

"All this love in here is killing us!" Racetrack quipped. "And get a room, will ya?" he smacked Mush on the back, who was in mid-kiss with Spark.

"Race!" Spark yelled. "Mind your own business."

"Don't mind him," Mush retorted. "He's just jealous he doesn't have a girl."

The room erupted with "Ooooh"s from the other newsies.

"Don't need a girl when I have Lady Luck." Said Racetrack.

"Hmmm, are you sure she hasn't left ya? Because you owe me two bucks." Spark said, crossing her arms, a triumphant smile on her face.

Before Racetrack could think up a good comeback, Story grabbed her sister's hand.

"We better go."

"One more kiss." Mush said.

"Tomorrow, you'll see each other tomorrow." Chase said, exasperated.

Mush stuck his tongue out at Chase and then pecked Spark on the lips one last time.

"Bye guys!"

"Finally, we're outta there." Spot exhaled dramatically. Chase pulled his hat over his eyes. "Hey, if I fall you'll fall." He readjusted his hat and pulled her closer.

"At least we'll fall together." Chase laid her head on his shoulder as they walked.

The four of them continued in silence after that. Chase was trying to figure out why Spot and Jack were keeping secrets from her. Spot was thinking about what he could give Chase for Christmas. Story was wondering when David would kiss her. And Spark's thoughts were on Mush and the two dollars Racetrack still owed her.

Spot snapped out of his thoughts when he heard a sound. A repetitive tapping sound. He checked to see if his cane was dragging on the ground, but it wasn't. It sounded like footsteps. Like someone was following them. He glanced over his shoulder but it was too dark to see.

"What is it, Love?" Chase asked.

"Nothin'… Cupcake."

"Cupcake? Is that the best you can-"

"Shhh!" Spot stopped her. "Did you hear that?" he whispered. But the sound was gone.

* * *

 **A/N: So this part is also present in "Underworld" but instead of translating Alfred Borden's diary Chase, Story, and Spark are teaching the little girls how to read.**

* * *

After selling all of their papers the next day, Story, Spark, and Chase went back to the girls' lodging house in Brooklyn. Chase wanted to get started on translating the diary for Jack.

"So there's no indication as to what the code is?" Story asked.

"That's the point of a cipher. It's supposed to be impossible for people to crack." Chase said.

"But this is from his father," Spark chimed in. "if he wanted Jack to read it, shouldn't it be simple to figure out?"

"That's what doesn't make sense." Chase bit her lip "Can I see the letter again?"

Chase had read the letter dozens of times, hoping there would be a clue or something. She really wanted to help her friend out.

The three girls sat up at a knock at the door.

"Who is it?"

"Who do ya think, Sweetness?" Spot said as he opened the door. He was followed by Mush and Racetrack, who was shaking his head.

"Yous two gotta stop with all this lovey dovey talk."

"You wanna leave?" Spot glared at him.

"Nah, I'm ok." Racetrack said. "Hi'ya ladies. We's goin' to Sheepshead, any a yous wanna join us?"

"Are you askin' me if you want me to beat your sorry but again? I accept." Spark hopped off the bed and messed Racetrack's hair. She then stood on her tiptoes and kissed Mush.

"I think we're gonna go to Manhattan to play poker later." Spot said to Chase.

"Ok," she said. "We'll be over there later."

"You sure?"

"Yes, Sugar. I can walk on my own now."

The others rolled their eyes.

"We're gonna be late." said Racetrack, pushing Spark, Mush, and Spot out the door.

Chase and Story pored over the letter from Jack's father, trying to make out a secret message in the wording. It was no use. The diary would be useless for Jack if they couldn't translate it.

About an hour later, there was another knock at the door.

"What is it, Sweetheart?" Chase practically snapped. She wasn't getting anywhere.

"Sweetheart? I didn't know we were that close. Shouldn't we go on a date or somethin' first?" it was Jack.

"Oh, I thought you were Spot." Chase blushed.

"I know." he smiled.

"What brings you to our humble lodging house?" Story giggled.

"I came to bring Chase something'." Jack handed her a stack of lined paper that was tied with newspaper string. "Davey thought it would help you with the translatin'."

"Aww, tell him thanks for me."

"I don't get a "thanks" for walkin' it all the way over for ya?" he said, faking offense.

Chase scoffed. "We'll I'm doing this for you. Isn't that thanks enough."

"I suppose." he said. "How far did you get?" he was anxious to read the passages in the diary and find out about his father's past.

"Not very far at all." Chase answered. "I'm sorry. I'm trying my best, but I still can't figure out the code."

"I know you'll get it. Thanks for doin' this for me." He hugged her.

"You're welcome."

"Oh, Story, Davey says he misses ya." Jack reported.

"Tell him I'll be at the lodging house later." A dreamy smile played on her lips.

"Ok. I'll be sure to tell him." Jack was happy his friend found a girl too. He didn't know how David would react when he found out about Jack and Sarah together. Thankfully, he wasn't that upset. It was a bit odd to have his best friend and his sister together but it didn't ruin their friendship. Jack wanted the same happiness for David. And Story was a nice girl.

"I must be missing something!" Chase exclaimed, frustrated. She covered her face with a pillow and screamed.

"Maybe yous should take a break." Jack suggested.

"No. I'm not giving up until figure this out."

"It's really not that important-"

"Yes it is!" said Chase. "This is about your father. I'm doing this for you. You've done so much for me: the strike and you convinced Medda to give me a job."

"She woulda given you a job anyway. She loves you."

"That's not the point."

Jack smiled at her. She was just as good at arguing as he was. They really were similar. If he didn't know any better, Jack would have thought she was a long lost sister of his. But Jack didn't have any other siblings. His mother passed away right after his father was arrested.

"Why don't you look at the letter?" Story said.

"And how would that help any?"

"That's a good idea." Chase said, sitting up. "Maybe there's something in there that only you would understand. Something your father said all the time…?"

"I barely talked to my father when he was at home." Jack's eyes were fixed on a spot on the wall. "I'll give it a shot. Hand it over."

Jack read the letter through three times. Nothing was unusual. He read it out loud, he read it backwards, he read it upside down. Nothing. But then he spotted it.

"Uh, Chase?"

"Hmmm?" She and Story were starting to drift off to sleep.

"I'm not exactly sure how these ciphers work, but do you see that?" The "m" in mother was written slightly darker than the other letters. It was almost undetectable.

Chase sat up. "That could be something. Story, write that down."

"And there's another one. The 'a' in 'asking'."

Chase read over his shoulder. "Keep going! I think we're onto something."

By the time they finished, they found 5 letters that stood out on the paper.

MAGIC

"We found our code word!" Chase exclaimed. She kissed Jack on the cheek, excited.

"This mean we're closer to figuring out the cipher?" Story asked.

"Yes, I have a feeling this is the base of the code your father used, Jack. He did leave you clues!"

Jack was relieved. They were finally getting somewhere.

"I'm goin' back to Manhattan. Yous wanna come with me?"

"I can't stop now, we're so close!"

"I'll drag her out later." said Story.

"Alright then, yous girls be safe out there. Don't leave too late."

"We walk to Manhattan at night all the time." Chase said. "We'll make it there alive."

"Promise?"

"Yeah."

* * *

After they figured out the code word, finding the whole code was easy. Chase and Story were on their way back to Manhattan in less than a half hour.

"So has David, you know, kissed you yet?" Chase asked.

"No," said Story. "He's taking it slow. I wouldn't have it any other way."

"Is this because you haven't had your first kiss yet?"

Story blushed. "Maybe."

"Well it's really not that great." Chase cringed. Her first kiss was with Oscar Delancy, completely against her will. It was awful.

"You can't tell me it's not that great. You and Spot kiss all the time and Spark and Mush, they can barely keep their lips to themselves."

Chase laughed, it was true, and then she stopped. There was a sound. The sound of footsteps nearby. She got a chill, remembering a similar situation the night before.

"Do you hear that?" she whispered.

Story's eyes widened as she nodded. They looked behind them, but the streetlamps were too dim to light the whole street.

"Maybe it's nothing. A police officer or something?" But as Chase said that, the footsteps sped up. The person was running toward them.

"Let's go!" Story exclaimed.

The two girls sprinted down the street. Aware that the person was still following them and getting faster. Chase hoped they were going in the right direction to the Manhattan lodging house. Story grabbed her hand as she went to make the wrong turn.

"Thanks," They turned the corner and saw the lodging house in the distance.

The two girls slammed into a group of people, knocking them to the ground.

"Hey, watch it you lousy- Oh, hey Chase." it was Racetrack. The girls had bumped into Race, Spot, Spark, and Mush as they were returning from the Sheepshead races.

"What were yous guys doing?" Spot asked as he attempted to get out from underneath Story.

"Um," Chase bit her lip, she didn't want Spot to get any more protective than he already was.

"We were having a race." Story chimed in.

"Um, yeah. I thought it would be a good idea to see how fast I can run now that the brace is gone." Chase smiled nervously, hoping Spot would believe the lie.

"Is that a good idea? I don't want either a' yous to get hurt again." Mush said as he helped his sister up.

"Well I have to start sometime." Chase laughed nervously as the boys helped her up.

The other boys were ready to accept this answer but Spot looked at her skeptically. There was something she wasn't telling him.

"What's goin' on, Chase?" He didn't bother thinking up a nickname.

Chase's eyes widened as her knees gave out and she fell against Racetrack. "Nothing- nothing's wrong."

He hadn't seen her this shaken in a long time. "Was it the Delanceys?" He took out his cane and looked down the street. Spot had been restraining himself from killing Oscar Delancey every time he saw him. But he was still waiting for him to slip up. Then he could murderer him and drop his body off in the bay. Spot had an extremely dark side to him.

Chase shuddered at the mention of their name but she looked up and touched Spot's face. "It wasn't them. I promise."

"You'd tell me if it was, right?"

"Yes."


	28. Author's Note

**A/N: Sorry I haven't updated this in forever. I need to see if I can find any more chapters of "The Turn". I had a lot at one point but they were very disjointed but I have to have them somewhere... In other news I added a cover to this story and I started a sequel called "All Bets Are Off".**


End file.
